Speaker A
Neil: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Neil. This is the programme where, in just six minutes, we discuss an interesting topic and teach some related English vocabulary.
Explore the concept of side hustles, their benefits and challenges, and learn key English vocabulary related to second jobs.
Key Takeaways
- Side hustles are increasingly common and can be motivated by both financial needs and personal interests.
- Turning a side hustle into a full-time job offers flexibility but involves sacrificing job security.
- Balancing two jobs can be challenging and tiring but can provide creative satisfaction and financial benefits.
- Understanding related vocabulary enhances comprehension of discussions about work and employment.
- The best job in the UK in 2024, according to employee ratings, is audit manager based on salary, openings, and satisfaction.
Summary
- Introduction to the concept of side hustles or second jobs and their growing popularity.
- Discussion of reasons why people take on side hustles, including financial necessity and pursuing passions.
- Statistics from Henley Business School on the prevalence of side hustles, especially among 25-34 year olds.
- Interview excerpts with Elspeth Jackson, who turned her side hustle into a full-time job, highlighting flexibility and risks.
- Insights from Becci Mae Ford on balancing a main job with a creative side hustle and the challenges involved.
- Quiz question about the best job in the UK according to Glassdoor, with the answer revealed as audit manager.
- Explanation of key vocabulary related to the topic such as 'make ends meet', 'side hustle', 'sacrificing', 'accustomed', 'creative balance', and 'grind'.
- Emphasis on the balance between financial security and personal fulfillment in managing multiple jobs.
- Encouragement to learn more English vocabulary and concepts through BBC Learning English resources.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction to Side Hustles
- 00:25What is a Side Hustle?
- 00:47Quiz Question Introduction
- 01:17Reasons for Having a Side Hustle
- 01:37Research and Statistics on Side Hustles
- 02:27Elspeth Jackson’s Story: Side Hustle to Full-Time Job
- 03:10Becci Mae Ford’s Experience with Two Jobs
- 04:01Quiz Answer and Job Insights
- 05:04Vocabulary Review and Closing
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
Joining me to do this is Rob. Rob: Hello. Neil: Now Rob, we know your main job is to work here at BBC Learning English, but do you have a second job?
Speaker A
Rob: There's no time for two jobs, Neil, but if there was, I think I'd take photographs and sell them.
Speaker A
I do love photography, so I might as well make some money from it. Neil: Good thinking, Rob!
Speaker A
And having a second job, particularly one that involves using your skills and allows you to follow your interests, is called a side hustle.
Speaker A
Rob: Yes, a side hustle. It's something more and more of us are involved with these days.
Speaker A
And that's what we'll be talking about shortly. Neil: Well, my side hustle should be quiz master, because I'm always asking questions, and today is no exception.
Speaker A
According to the employee ratings website Glassdoor, which job is thought to be the best to have in the UK this year?
Speaker A
Is it a) a software engineer, b) a teacher, or c) an audit manager? Rob: Hmm, well, I suspect b) a teacher.
Speaker A
Neil: Well, you'll just have to wait until the end of the programme to find out.
Speaker A
But let's talk more about side hustles - or a second job. For some people, having two jobs is a necessity - a way to make ends meet.
Speaker A
That means 'having just enough money to pay for the things you need'. Rob: That's true, but it now seems that more people want to put their skills and passions into practice to make extra money.
Speaker A
Neil: According to research by Henley Business School, around one in four workers run at least one side-hustle business, half of which were started in the past two years.
Speaker A
Those aged 25 to 34 are most likely to be involved, with 37% thought to run a sideline of some kind.
Speaker A
A sideline also describes an extra job you do alongside your main job. BBC Radio 5 Live spoke to someone whose side hustle was so satisfying that it turned into her day job.
Speaker A
Here is Elspeth Jackson, founder of Ragged Life, to explain why. Elspeth Jackson: It's a different environment entirely because you're leaving essentially a very regular wage that you'd get the same amount in month after month. You can put aside savings, the same amount every month,
Speaker A
and you have that certain amount of security. But now I don't think I could go back to one of these big companies because you'd essentially be sacrificing the flexibility, which is something I've become very accustomed to now.
Speaker A
Neil: Things have worked out well for Elspeth. But there were risks - for example, leaving behind the security - the safety - of a regular job and, of course, a regular income.
Speaker A
Rob: Elspeth liked making rag rugs. This has given her flexibility in her life, and returning to work at a big company would be sacrificing that.
Speaker A
That means 'giving something up or going without it'. Neil: And for Elspeth, her side hustle has become a full-time job, and she's become accustomed to her lifestyle.
Speaker A
It's become familiar or normal. Rob: The BBC also spoke to Becci Mae Ford, who works some of the time for a telecommunications company to pay the bills, but spends the rest of her time developing her own crafting company Ellbie Co.
Speaker A
How did she find having two jobs? Becci Mae Ford: I think it just gives me creative balance, and obviously working for the telecoms firm, it gets me out the house and gets me to meet people in a social environment.
Speaker A
It can be difficult to juggle the two though, definitely. It's definitely a grind. It's a lot harder than people think it's going to be.
Speaker A
Neil: So Becci implies that it's not always easy to have a side hustle. The benefit for her is the creative balance - a good mix of doing office-based work, regular tasks, and a routine with working creatively, making things and getting pleasure from it.
Speaker A
Rob: But juggling - or balancing these two things - is difficult, and she described her side hustle as sometimes being a grind - hard work, tiring and occasionally boring.
Speaker A
But overall, it does make her happy. Neil: Now, something that would make me happy is to give you the answer to today's quiz question.
Speaker A
Earlier I asked you, according to the employee ratings website Glassdoor, which job is thought to be the best to have in the UK this year?
Speaker A
Is it... a) a software engineer, b) a teacher, or c) an audit manager? Rob: Yes, and I said b) a teacher - always the best job in the world!
Speaker A
Neil: Sadly not, Rob. Apparently, it is c) an audit manager that is considered to be the best job to have this year.
Speaker A
Audit managers are responsible for organising and overseeing internal audits. The result was based on three factors: average annual base salary, the current number of job openings, and job satisfaction, according to ratings shared by employees on the website over the past 12 months.
Speaker A
Rob: So sounds like an interesting job for a side hustle, but before I head off for a career change, let's remind ourselves of the main vocabulary we've discussed, starting with to 'make ends meet'.
Speaker A
Neil: When we make ends meet, we have just enough money to pay for the things we need.
Speaker A
Rob: Next, we mentioned a sideline, which describes an extra job you do alongside your main job.
Speaker A
Neil: Then we had sacrificing. That means 'giving up something important' or 'going without something'.
Speaker A
Rob: Accustomed is a word to mean 'usual or normal'. If you get accustomed to doing something, it becomes the normal way of doing it - it becomes familiar.
Speaker A
Neil: We also talked about the expression 'creative balance'. That describes getting the best mix of doing creative and uncreative tasks.
Speaker A
Rob: And finally, 'grind' describes doing something that is tiring, difficult, sometimes boring and involves lots of effort.
Speaker A
Neil: Well, this programme has not been a grind, Rob. It's been six minutes of pleasure.
Speaker A
Don't forget you can learn more English with us on our website bbclearningenglish.com. Rob: Bye for now.
Speaker A
Neil: Bye.
Topics:side hustlesecond jobwork-life balanceEnglish vocabularyBBC Learning Englishjob satisfactionfinancial securitycreative balanceaudit manageremployee ratings
