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TEXT 6

One in 10 employing domestic help

One in 10 people employ domestic help to do cleaning, cooking or ironing, according to a new report.

The Work Foundation study said 74% of people said they did so because of lack of time, and 83% because they would rather be doing something else.

It said most of the estimated 2m nannies, gardeners, cleaners and butlers are employed on an informal, cash-in-hand basis.

It urged the government to do more to help people make more formal con-

tracts.

The study found more than half of domestic staff were employed through word-of-mouth.

One quarter of carers and cleaners were paid below the minimum wage, according to the report.

Alexandra Jones of the Work Foundation said: “Most domestic relationships are in the informal economy. Whilst this can work well for both sides, we are storing up longer term problems as this sector expands”.

“Bringing these jobs into the public sphere... should help tackle the stigma that remains attached to these crucial roles”

Alexandra Jones

Work Foundation spokeswoman

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“Those paid cash-in-hand for household tasks will not be getting National Insurance payments, and are likely to be storing up pension problems – particularly as they are predominantly women, who are already more likely to be in poverty in retirement.”

The group, which is an independent non-profit organisation, cautiously welcomed the government’s recently announced tax breaks for households employing nannies.

But it said the breaks were unlikely to help very many households because of the low qualifying threshold, and tended to exclude family members who took caring roles.

It urged the government to raise the tax breaks and look again at how to recognise the enormous contribution made by family members.

Ms Jones said: “We need to talk more about the hidden world of housework, as well as childcare and eldercare”.

“Bringing these jobs into the public sphere, and recognising them as valuable contributions to the economy, should help tackle the stigma that remains attached to these crucial roles”.

One out of every five people asked said they could not cope with their domestic responsibilities.

This rose to one out of every three for those with children under the age

of 16.

The report suggests wealthy households are more likely to have access to domestic help than lower income households.

Those with an income above £70,000 a year are 16 times more likely to employ domestic help than those earning less than £25,000.

While the biggest users of household help are those in full-time selfemployment, 29% of whom employ someone to help with their chores.

The Work Foundation conducts research and consultancy work with companies and government departments aimed at improving the quality of working life.

Reasons for hiring help:

Rather do other things – 83%. Have not got the time – 74%. An affordable perk – 70%.

Housework ‘waste of time’ – 50%. Too tired for chores – 46%.

Too big a job – 29%. Prevents arguments – 24%.

TEXT 7

One in two homes employ domestic workers

Half of all homes in Britain employ domestic staff at a total cost of £20 billion a year. Households pay an average of £1,924 each a year employing do-

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mestic helpers, according to research published by internet job site Gumtree today. However, it is not just child minders and cleaners that Britons are employing – domestic staff includes chauffeurs, dog walkers, personal shoppers and house-sitters.

No longer a luxury afforded only by the rich, 48 per cent of Britons employ an average of three outside helpers and households contract domestic help for six hours a week. Despite rising interest rates and an uncertain property market, researchers say people plan to spend £20 billion this year on outsourcing their chores. The findings show a boom in Britain’s domestic staff sector, which has seen rates rise by 10 per cent.

A dislike of household chores, a lack of time because of long working hours and avoiding arguments with others in the house were the main reasons cited for the boom. Almost a third of people admitted that “nothing would get done” if they did not outsource domestic chores, while 13 per cent of parents said they would rather spend time with their children.

The most popular domestic staff positions are window cleaners, gardeners, cleaners and odd-job men who are hired on a regular basis. However, it is chauffeurs, personal assistants and specialist baby helpers who are paid the most for their services, with 12 per cent of those who hire help for their baby paying upwards of £500 for the support.

Men spend twice as much as women on average (£46 versus £29 a week) and employ staff to work for longer hours (nine hours compared with seven hours). Households in the South-East are most likely to use domestic staff and also pay the most, hiring help for an average of eight hours a week at an above average cost of £56 per week.

Sophy Silver, of Gumtree.com, said: “Employing several domestic staff for different household jobs is no longer a luxury affordable only by the landed gentry.”

“Domestic staff are now considered a lifestyle essential by almost half the population which is a far cry from the old ‘upstairs downstairs’ generation. Demand for domestic staff continues to grow at a phenomenal pace as more and more service-orientated Brits contract out domestic chores.”

TEXT 8

Company offers husbands for hire

Women in Lincolnshire now no longer need to walk down the aisle in order to get to a husband.

A Lincoln firm is offering a husband-for-hire service to those considering themselves to be damsels in distress.

The willing handymen can be called to help out with odd jobs around the house from changing a light bulb to putting up a garden fence.

The recently launched Hire a Hubby firm was set up to help Lincoln’s single population, which is now more than 35%.

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bachelors cope with household chores.

Company owner, Stuart Richardson, said: “My trade is in the cleaning industry but I decided to set up the business after I noticed a gap in the market.”

“Single people can now call out for help with their daily cleaning and household duties. It’s nice for people to have someone to help out in our busy modern lives.”

“Ladies used to have to call out various firms to help fix household problems, such as plumbers and electricians – but now we’re offering a one-stop shop for everything.’

Discuss the question with your partner

Is the service of domestic help popular in our country? Why/Why not?

TEXT 9

Exercise 1

Read the text. ComplОtО tСО РКpЬ аТtС “mОn/СuЬЛКnНЬ” oЫ аomОn/аТvОЬ” КЬ you think is appropriate:

THOSE LAZY (1)________

(2)_______ are lazy in the home, according to an official survey published today. They have about six hours a week more free time than (3)_______, but play very little part in cooking, cleaning, washing and ironing, according to the Social Trend Survey by the Central statistical Office.

Nearly three quarters of married (4)_______ claimed to do all or most of the housework, and among married (5)_______ the proportion who admitted that their (6)_______ did all or most of the housework was only slightly lower.

The survey showed that washing and ironing was the least popular task among (7)_______, with only one per cent performing this duty, compared with 89 per cent of (8)_______, 10 per cent sharing equally. Only 5 per cent of

(9)_______ prepare the evening meal, 3 per cent carry out household cleaning duties, 5 per cent household shopping and 17 per cent wash the evening dishes.

But when household gadgets break down, repairs are carried out by 62 per cent of (10)________.

Exercise 2

Complete the gaps with figures that are appropriate in your opinion:

THOSE LAZY HUSBANDS

Men are lazy in the home, according to an official survey published today. They have about (1)_____ hours a week more free time than wives, but play very little part in cooking, cleaning, washing and ironing, according to the Social Trend Survey by the Central statistical Office.

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Nearly (2)______ quarters of married women claimed to do all or most of the housework, and among married men the proportion who admitted that their wives did all or most of the housework was only slightly lower.

The survey showed that washing and ironing was the least popular task among men, with only (3)______ per cent performing this duty, compared with

(4)______ per cent of women, (5)______ per cent sharing equally. Only

(6)______ per cent of men prepare the evening meal, (7)______ per cent carry out household cleaning duties, (8)______ per cent household shopping and

(9)______ per cent wash the evening dishes.

But when household gadgets break down, repairs are carried out by (10)_______ per cent of husbands.

Read the text and check your ideas. Were you right?

THOSE LAZY HUSBANDS

Men are lazy in the home, according to an official survey published today. They have about six hours a week more free time than wives, but play very little part in cooking, cleaning, washing and ironing, according to the Social Trend Survey by the Central statistical Office.

Nearly three quarters of married women claimed to do all or most of the housework, and among married men the proportion who admitted that their wives did all or most of the housework was only slightly lower.

The survey showed that washing and ironing was the least popular task among men, with only one per cent performing this duty, compared with 89 per cent of women, 10 per cent sharing equally. Only 5 pe4r cent of men prepare the evening meal, 3 per cent carry out household cleaning duties, 5 per cent household shopping and 17 per cent wash the evening dishes.

But when household gadgets break down, repairs are carried out by 62 per cent of husbands.

Ex. 3. Give the main idea of the text in one or two phrases.

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Ex. 4. Retell the text in details with figures and numbers.

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10.http:// www.telegraph.co.uk.

11.http://news.bbc.co.uk.

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А

………………………………………………………………………………………… 3

Part I. Daily Routine…………………………………………………..…………………………. 4 Topical Vocabulary……………………………………………………………………….………… 4 Introductory reading and talk……………………………………………………….…...……… 9 TОбЭ “OnО НКв oП PОЭОr’s ХТПО”…………………………………………………..……………… 12 Exercises…………………………………………………………………………………..…………… 15 Writing…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 31

Part II. Domestic Chores…………………………………..……………………………..…...… 33

Topical Vocabulary…………………………………………………………………….…………… 33

Introductory reading and talk…………………………………………………………………… 41

TОбЭ “SomО prКМЭТМКХ ОбpОrТОnМО”…………………………………………………………….. 43 Exercises………………………………………………………………………………………………… 48 Writing…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 62

Part III. Supplementary Reading…………………………………………………….…..… 65 Texts for reading and retelling daily routine…………………………………….………… 65

Domestic chores……………………………………………………………………………………… 72

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Я

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DAILY ROUTINE

DOMESTIC CHORES

Учеб е с бие

2016

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