Describe a person you know who enjoys working for a family business

Hello everyone, and welcome to the IELTS TIME Podcast! I’m your host, Archer, and today we’re tackling a Part 2 cue card：

Describe a person you know who enjoys working for a family business. You should say: who he /she is, what the business is, what his/her job is and explain why he/she enjoys working there.

We have two model responses lined up for you today. First, we’ll hear from Joseph, and then from Blondie. After each response, I’ll give a quick summary and highlight some key vocabulary and expressions that can help you score higher. Let’s kick things off with Joseph.

Well, the person I’d like to talk about is my father. He works in our family business, which is actually managed by my grandfather on my mum’s side. It’s a trading company that deals with everyday household products like cleaning supplies and kitchenware, and we mainly supply local shops around the city.

My dad is in sales, and he’s basically the one who keeps the business running smoothly. He spends a lot of time meeting clients, introducing new products, and maintaining good relationships with shop owners. He’s incredibly good at connecting with people — he’s got this natural charm that makes customers trust him easily.

He genuinely enjoys his job, and I think there are a few reasons for that. First of all, he feels a strong sense of ownership and pride because the business belongs to our family. He’s not just working for a paycheck; he’s contributing to something that his father-in-law built from scratch. Secondly, he loves the independence he has — he doesn’t have to deal with office politics or strict corporate rules. My grandfather completely trusts him to make important decisions.

Another thing is that my dad really enjoys the personal touch that comes with a family business. The atmosphere is warm and cooperative, not competitive. And since he’s quite a sociable and persuasive person, sales just fits his personality perfectly.

Overall, I think he finds his work deeply fulfilling because it combines family, passion, and responsibility. He often says that he’s proud to help keep the business thriving for the next generation — which, to be honest, might include me one day.

Wow, that was a great response from Joseph! I loved how he really painted a clear picture of his father working in the family business. Joseph talked about his dad, who’s in sales for a family trading company run by his grandfather. He described how his father built relationships with clients, introduced products, and really took pride in contributing to something the family has built.

You can tell that his dad genuinely enjoys the independence he has and the personal connections he gets to make. Overall, it was such a great response that was both meaningful and fulfilling.

But let’s talk about the specific language choices that made it so strong. The phrase ‘sense of ownership and pride’ is excellent for conveying complex ideas in one go. It shows you can use nuanced, natural collocations to express strong personal investment and commitment.

And another fantastic phrase Joseph used was ‘personal touch.’ This is a fantastic, natural-sounding idiomatic phrase you can use to describe the non-corporate, human side of a small business, demonstrating sophisticated lexical choice.

Lastly, we have the phrase ‘deeply fulfilling.’ This is a powerful, high-frequency adverb-adjective collocation. It’s far better than just saying ‘very satisfying’ and signals a sophisticated vocabulary range when describing meaningful work. Using expressions like these can really help your speech sound natural and advanced in the Speaking test.

Next up, we have Blondie’s response.

I’d love to tell you about my best friend, Sarah, who works for her family’s flower business. She’s one of the most creative people I know — she really has an eye for colour and arrangement.

The business is a small, independent flower shop that’s been on the main street of our city for over 25 years. It was started by her grandmother, and now her father runs it. They specialize in custom floral arrangements for weddings and corporate events, but they also get plenty of everyday customers popping in for bouquets. It’s a really community-focused little shop, and people around here absolutely love it.

Sarah’s role is a bit flexible, which is normal in a small family business, but her main job is Lead Floral Designer and Workshop Coordinator. She meets with wedding clients, sketches out their designs, and manages the team of florists when they’re preparing for a big event. On top of that, she started a new venture — she runs weekend workshops where people can come and learn how to make their own wreaths or centrepieces, which has been really popular.

I think what she enjoys the most comes down to two things. First, there’s the creative side — she gets to turn a bunch of flowers into something beautiful almost every day. Every wedding or event is different, so it’s never boring, and she gets a real sense of satisfaction from seeing the finished product. Second, she loves the family aspect and sense of legacy. She feels proud to be helping her dad and keeping her grandmother’s business going. It’s something that’s really close to her heart, and I think that gives her a sense of purpose that most people don’t get in a normal job.

Overall, she gets a lot of joy and fulfilment from what she does, and you can really tell she’s passionate about it.

That was Blondie! I loved how vivid her response was.

Blondie talked about her friend Sarah, who works for a family flower business started by her grandmother. Sarah not only designs amazing floral arrangements for weddings and events, but she also runs weekend workshops, which is such a creative touch. Blondie highlighted how Sarah enjoys her job both because of the creative freedom it gives her and the sense of pride in contributing to a family legacy. You can really hear the passion in this response—it’s inspiring!

Now, let’s take a look at some of the vocabulary that made Blondie’s response so effective.

She described the flower shop as ‘community-focused,’ which is a great compound adjective showing how the business values local customers and creates a warm, personal atmosphere.

She also talked about Sarah’s ‘sense of legacy,’ a phrase that really captures pride in continuing a family tradition and contributing to something meaningful.

And finally, Blondie used expressions like ‘close to her heart’ and ‘sense of purpose.’ These show emotional connection and fulfilment — powerful ways to express motivation and passion in work.

Using language like this helps your answers sound both natural and sophisticated.

Before we wrap up, let’s take a moment to brainstorm other ideas for this cue card. You don’t have to stick to parents or friends — you could talk about a sibling, an uncle or aunt, or even a neighbour who helps run a family business. The business itself could be anything: a café, a small farm, a craft workshop, or a tech start-up.

So, what are the common threads? Why do people enjoy working in these kinds of businesses?

Many people enjoy working in a family business for a few common reasons. Some love the creative freedom they get, being able to try out new ideas or manage projects without strict corporate rules. Others enjoy the sense of achievement that comes from seeing the business grow or serving loyal customers who really appreciate their work. A lot of people value the friendly and supportive environment, where colleagues are like family and everyone helps each other. And of course, working for a family business can give a strong sense of pride and responsibility, because their efforts contribute directly to the family’s legacy and success.

For example, in my own experience, my cousin works in our family bakery. She started helping after school and now manages the social media accounts while occasionally baking new recipes. She enjoys it because she gets to be creative with new ideas and feels proud that her work is helping the family business succeed. Even small examples like this — simple daily tasks or responsibilities — can make your answer much more vivid and personal, helping the examiner understand exactly why the person enjoys their work.

So, there you have it — two fantastic model responses, plus some extra ideas to help you brainstorm your own response. Remember, clear structure, concrete details, and expressive vocabulary are key to a high-scoring answer. Explaining not just what someone does but why it matters to them is what really elevates your response.

That’s it for today’s episode of IELTS TIME. We hope you got some great takeaways and new ideas for your own Speaking test preparation today!

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Thanks so much for listening. Good luck with your studies, and we’ll talk again soon!