Housekeeper

BBC Learning English WeekenderHousekeeperJackie: Hello, welcome to the programme, I’m JackieDalton.
　　MargaretHello, my name is Margaret McMullen…Jackie: Today we’re going to explore some work-relatedlanguage and find out about a certain job. Any ideas what?
　　MargaretI’m the Head Housekeeper 1 at this incredibly beautifulTudor house, which has had a variety of inhabitantsthroughout its long history, but now has been restored andbrought back into a full-time 2 family house.
　　Jackie: Margaret is a housekeeper in a big house – ahousekeeper is someone who looks after a house, makes sureit's clean and looks after the people who live in it.
　　Margaret is going to tell us now about the mostenjoyable aspect of her job. The ‘most enjoyable aspect’
　　- the thing she likes most. What does she like most? Listento find out:
　　MargaretThe most enjoyable aspects of the job are definitely thebuzz of giving very good service to guests when they come.
　　Even just making their beds, you know. I mean,making beds is making beds, but there’s a way of doing itwell and you get ‘Yes, that really does look good.’
　　Jackie: Did you get the answer? The most enjoyable aspectfor Margaret is giving very good service to guests - sheused the word “buzz 3”.
　　Margaret…the buzz of giving very good service to guests when theycome.
　　Jackie: If you get a buzz from something, you enjoy it, itmakes you feel excited. Listen to more examples of thatexpression being used.
　　Voice: I get a real buzz from taking part in a big race.
　　Voice: I love the buzz of knowing hundreds of people arewatching me perform on stage.
　　Jackie: Now it’s time for the next listening comprehensionquestion. When did Margaret decide to become a housekeeper?
　　And what did she do before?
　　MargaretWell, I decided 4 to enter into the service world when Ibecame redundant 5 from my public service job. I worked in aschool.
　　Jackie: Margaret made the decision when she was maderedundant from her previous job, which was being a teacher.
　　To be made redundant is to lose your job because you are nolonger needed.
　　STINGJackie: Why was Margaret a bit worried about the decisionshe made?
　　MargaretWhen I decided that I would do this, I thought myself ‘Areyou being completely mad here? Here you are, you are auniversity graduate, you’re a qualified 6 teacher, you’vehad a professional career - why on earth do you want to goand be a professional Mrs Mop?
　　Jackie: Margaret was worried because she was well qualifiedand had a professional career and was going to do somethingwhich she saw as not a professional career – as she putsit, being ‘Mrs Mop’ - a kind of joking way of describinga simple person who spends her time cleaning the floor. ButMargaret decided to make the change anyway. Why did shefinally make that decision?
　　MargaretAnd I thought well, I don’t particularly want to carry ondoing what I’m doing because it is stressful, I want to dosomething different so I’m going to give it a go.
　　Jackie: Margaret decided she wanted to do somethingdifferent and teaching was too stressful. What expressiondid she use to say that she was going to try being ahousekeeper? Listen again.
　　MargaretI want to do something different so I’m going to give it ago.
　　Jackie: To ‘give it a go’ – to try something to see whatit's like. Listen to more examples of that expression inuse:
　　Voice: I’m worried about riding horses because they lookscary, but I’ll give it a go!
　　Voice: Go on, give it a go! You might actually enjoy it!
　　Jackie: Once Margaret had become a housekeeper, she wasuncomfortable at first when other people asked her what shedid. Why was that?
　　MargaretNow, when it came to actually working as a professional MrsMop, when people ask me in a social situation, ‘What to doyou do?’ that hit me across the head personally, that Icould no longer say that I was a professional bursar or Iwas a teacher – something that had status.  I was saying,‘Well actually I’m a housekeeper. And I had difficultywith that myself because I’d always perceived myself asbeing aprofessional person in a professional job. I neverassociated housekeeping with being a profession.
　　Jackie: Margaret was worried about her status – whetherother people would see her as being not very educated orimportant. She said she didn't see housekeeping as aprofessional job. But what does she think now?
　　Margaret…and it wasn’t until I was in it for about six monthsthat I realised it was. And I was being particularlyinsecure by holding back from saying what I did. Now, I sayit very happily.
　　Jackie: Well now Margaret is comfortable with being ahousekeeper. She used to be ‘insecure’ about it –uncertain, embarrassed, but now she is quite happy to saywhat she does!