Toby: Absolutely. New software is becoming available all the time However.

However. It’s not a job you can do forever. Most people do it as

– and we have to use as much of this as possible because a temporary thing when they’re young, and I’m no different. I’ve
it makes such a difference to the finished product. Recent thought about starting my own delivery company – being the
developments give animators incredible freedom – we’ve business owner for a change, but I think I’d prefer to be a personal
reached the point where anything that we can possibly trainer. That would use all the things I’m best at, I think. But I won’t
think up, we can make into an animation. It’s amazing! stop the bike courier job just yet ...
Friend: Wow! I’d love to see some of your work.
06 Unit 6, Listening Part 1
05 Unit 5, Listening Part 2
You will hear people talking in four different situations. For questions
You will hear a woman called Leila Osman talking on a podcast about 1–4, choose the best answer A, B or C.
working as a bike courier in London. For questions 1–10, complete the
1 You hear a running coach giving advice about the week before
sentences with a word or short phrase.
a marathon.
Hi, I’m Leila Osman. I’m a bike courier in London – I collect and
There are various things that can go wrong for you in the last week
deliver letters and parcels by bike.
before running a marathon. One is panic setting in, caused by a
Many people say they’d hate my job because of the traffic and the realisation that you haven’t done enough training, and fear of injury
weather, but most of the time I love it. One reason it suits me is the resulting from that. Obviously, it’s too late to do much about how
cycling, a passion of mine which also helps maintain my fitness. But physically prepared you are, except stay calm and tell yourself that
what I’d rank top of all the job’s advantages is the freedom I have – you can still get through the race successfully. Come to terms with
I’m in charge of my working day, and that’s priceless. your actual level of fitness and what that’ll allow you to achieve.
I’m self-employed, but I get as much work as I want from just one Whatever you do, don’t force yourself to complete a long 20-mile
courier company. They also supply me with some of the kit I need, training run. That certainly won’t help you complete the race.
such as a radio. I need that so they can contact me with details of 2 You hear a woman phoning her daughter about an arrangement
jobs. I have to provide my own bag, which I carry all the items for for tonight.
delivery in, and the waterproof jacket I wear is one I bought Woman: Hi Katie – would you mind if I came to dinner
myself, too. another night?
My bike isn’t anything special but it’s easy to ride. I decided against Daughter: Oh dear – what’s up, Mum? Is it your back again?
anything too pricey because of the risk of it being stolen. I work in Woman: Yes. It’s not too bad but because I’ve been painting
some rough areas, so I invested in a top-of-the-range bike lock. I the sitting room today, it’s feeling a bit stiff now. I just
spent a fortune but it was worth it to get something strong but not don’t want to risk making it as bad as it was last year, so
heavy. There’s little point in getting things like expensive bike lights, I think I should probably stay here and take it easy. I’ve
as they too often get taken or broken. taken some paracetamol, which has helped, and I’m
The other crucial thing that bike couriers have to carry around is a going for a lie down. Sorry to mess up our plans.
tyre repair kit. I’m an expert at repairing tyres nowadays, but when I Daughter: Sounds very sensible, Mum. We can easily do dinner
started, I used to get a colleague to help me. Then I got my cousin to tomorrow or the day after.
show me how to do it properly, and it’s never been a problem since.
Woman: Great, thanks Katie.
At the beginning of each day, I call the courier company, get
3 You hear a man talking about a change in his diet.
instructions for the first item to pick up, and cycle to wherever it
is. If it’s a small building, I normally head straight in through the I’ve completely cut out fast food, caffeine and anything highly
front door to reception. But if it’s a huge, glass office block, I’ll go processed or high in sugar. I know it’s going to be good for me in
in through the service entrance at the back, and then find the post the long run, but I’m struggling with it at the moment. Giving up
room, where I’ll pick up my package. sugar is much harder than I imagined it would be, and my body’s still
adjusting to it. I’m experiencing periods during the day when I can’t
I then deliver the package, go and collect the next one and continue
be bothered to do anything, and then, I really miss that immediate
this routine until I have no packages left, and nothing to collect.
boost I used to get from a chocolate bar or fizzy drink – even though
Then I contact the courier company to let them know. What I actually
it never used to last long! At least I’m sleeping better at night,
say to them is that I’m ‘empty’ – then they know to send me through
though.
some more jobs. If there isn’t anything to do, they’ll put me on what
they call ‘stand by’ until another job’s available. 4 You hear a woman giving advice to footballers about looking after
their feet.
When I’m waiting for more jobs, I can do whatever I want to. Often, I
meet up with another bike courier to have coffee and we chat about Football can put a lot of stress on the feet, especially when you’re
how awful certain aspects of the job are. The most common topic is playing on hard surfaces such as artificial turf. Your boots may also
pay – it’s pretty bad in this job. Most customers are reasonable, but be putting added pressure on various parts of your feet, and it’s not
every courier has at least one funny story to tell about them. unusual for a footballer to damage the skin on his or her feet, as well
as their toenails. Players have different preferences in terms of design
Being self-employed, I can choose how many hours I put in each day. and the material they’re made from and so on, but a good quality,
Most couriers do between seven and ten. I do nine as a rule, but I well-fitting pair of boots is essential. There shouldn’t be any signs of
sometimes do ten, like when colleagues are off sick. A couple of years strain on the foot after a game or training session.
ago, I occasionally did 12 hour days – that was awful!
I feel quite comfortable in the job now. I’ve built up a good level of
stamina, which means I can work all day, and I’ve still got energy
to go out in the evening and see friends. I’ve also gained a lot of
confidence in cycling in heavy traffic. That was difficult for me, as I
was brought up in a quiet village.

WORKBOOK AUDIO SCRIPTS 91