Connection between job and English by Alvaro

Hello all of you,

I’d like to write about why I began to learn English, I started learning English because of my job, I explain it to you:

I work on a pharmaceutical factory, I started to work there seven years ago. Along this time the factory has grown a lot. Many new machines have come and many engineers have come too to get  the new machines ready.

As I’m a maintenance technician, each time an engineer is coming one of us must go with the engineer to support him or her and learn as much as we can about the machine. At present at the department we are twenty-four technicians, but when I started to work here, we only were twelve technicians and each of us had and has some machine assigned.

I began with two assigned machines, however I controlled any machine which didn't work well and I fixed it.

Next year two new machines were coming and the boss offered me to assist to the engineer in everything he needed.

Obviously, as the engineer came from England, he didn't speak Spanish.  To work with him was very difficult for me because  I had never studied English, I understood nothing, he spoke very fast and technically, he used words such as drill, tap, screw, bolt, spanner, steam, boiler and many other different technical words. Many times he had to do the drawing of a nut or a washer if not, impossible to understand.

He stayed in Spain two weeks and I stayed with him every time at work. I finished very tired, d'you know the whole day thinking in English even I dreamt in English. 

After that I began to learn English by myself with on-line courses  but I didn't like it a lot because I didn’t have a teacher to correct my mistakes and pronunciation. Well, I was looking for one English course and my sister in-law told me about this course in La Puebla near her house, I said to her: 'It’s very good for me thanks, could you sign me up there please?' And she said to me: 'Of course'  and I’m here.

Along this time many more machines has come, at this moment I‘m in charge of fifteen similar machines, and now I haven’t got time to fix another machines. Every time one machine comes, the engineer comes too and I have to go with him. The engineer comes once or twice each year and I go with him and practise my English, each year I notice I am understanding better.

Nowadays I am able to speak with him about many matters such as travels, holidays, family, even work.

For that reason I began to learn English: to grow in my job.

Do you think you could need English in your job?

Do you think it’s necessary to speak and understand English to find a job?

See you soon.