“They told me to grow roots. Instead I grew wings.
”
Louis de Bernières, British Author
1. Remote Working Discussion
1. What are the most important things you need to work remotely? What kind of personal qualities
or specialist skills would you need?
2. What are the best jobs to work remotely? What ideas can you think of to become a remote
worker?
3. What are the main benefits of working remotely? What are the disadvantages?
4. Would you find remote work lonely?
5. Would you prefer to keep moving to different locations to work or would you prefer to find one
place to settle down in? Why?
6. What health and safety responsibilities does a company have if its staff work remotely?
7. How can companies ensure staff are productive when they work remotely?
8. If you worked remotely in a different country, what would you do for your holidays/vacations?
2. Remote Working Vocabulary
remote working (noun) – work that can be completed without the need of a physical workplace.
digital nomad (noun) – a remote worker who travels from place to place while working.
geo-arbitrage / cost-arbitrage (noun) – living in a country with a lower cost of living compared to
the currency a worker is paid in.
freelancer (noun), freelance (adjective) – an independent worker who does work for multiple
companies rather than be employed by a single company; describes this kind of work.
digital / virtual workplace (noun) – the digital equivalent of an office workplace.
steady paycheck (noun) – consistent income that is paid regularly.
Using the vocabulary words above, complete the following sentences (remember to use the
correct form of the word, e.g. verb conjugation or plural noun)
1. Communication technology is the most important thing to take into consideration when creating
your .
2. are able to combine their love of travel with earning an income.
3. If you're paid in US dollars and are able to work remotely, you should think about the many
benefits of and consider moving to a country with a lower cost of living.
4. It was difficult to give up the from my old office job, but the freedom of
becoming a remote worker definitely makes up for it.
5. is becoming increasingly popular as companies realise work can be done from
any location.
6. There are now many websites offering work where clients post various on-
demand jobs.
Remote Working vocabulary comprehension questions
1. What is the difference between remote working and homeworking?
2. What would be the best things about being a digital nomad? What are the bad things?
3. What are the benefits of geo-arbitrage? How would you be able to take advantage of this?
4. What freelance jobs could you do? Which freelance jobs could you do as a digital nomad?
5. What would you need in your digital workplace?
6. Would you give up a steady paycheck for a nomadic lifestyle?
3. Video: Digital Nomad Pros and Cons
You are going to watch a video by Location Rebel called “Work and Travel: The Pros and Cons of
Becoming a Digital Nomad.”
Watch the video here: https://yourenglishpal.com/blog/business-english-conversation-lesson-plan-remote-working/
Watch the video and after, discuss the following questions :
1. What freedoms would you have as a digital nomad? What opportunities would you have?
2. If you had the opportunity to work remotely, where would you most like to work?
3. Would being a digital nomad make it easier or more difficult to follow your passion?
4. What are some problems that digital nomads might have?
5. Would you find the uncertainty of income stressful if you were a digital nomad?
6. Is the digital nomad life only for young people with no attachments? Why or why not?
4. Remote Working Conversation Questions
1. How well do you think you would adapt to different cultures and languages if you worked in
various different countries?
2. How would you keep yourself motivated if you were a digital nomad?
3. How would it be possible to advance your career as a digital nomad? How could being a remote
worker be damaging to your career?
4. Would a remote working job be more or less stressful than an office job? Why?
5. How would remote work develop you professionally?
6. What security risks are associated with remote working?
7. Due to the reduced costs of travel, food and clothes, economists at Deutsche Bank have
proposed a 5% tax for each day a person chooses to work remotely in order to subsidise lower
paid workers. Do you agree with this?
8. Will everyone work remotely in the future? Why or why not?
5. Remote Working Writing Task
Write a report about how your organisation could set up digital workplaces. Try to use some of the
vocabulary you learned earlier in this lesson. In your answer, include the following topics:
The benefits of digital workplaces for staff.
The benefits of digital workplaces for the business.
The specialist software you would need.
