Job offers: negotiating salary and benefits politely

Summary

This 90-minute ESL lesson for B2 learners explores Job offers: negotiating salary and benefits politely through a real article. Across 10 interactive exercises, you'll develop reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, practical communication, speaking skills — all built around authentic English content.

What you'll practise:

• 5 key vocabulary items with definitions and usage notes
• Grammar focus: Indirect questions with examples and practice
• Real-world phrases for discussing a job offer
• Gap-fill and cloze exercises to test vocabulary in context
• Matching exercise to connect terms with their meanings
• Error correction to sharpen grammar awareness

Lesson activities (10 exercises)

Each exercise builds on the previous one. Work through them in order for the best learning experience.

1. Warm-up — Discussion questions to activate what you already know about the topic.
2. Comprehension — Answer questions to check your understanding of the main ideas and supporting details.
3. Vocabulary — Learn key words and expressions from the article, with definitions and usage notes.
4. Fill the gaps — Complete sentences with the correct vocabulary. Drag and drop or type your answers.
5. Grammar — Study Indirect questions — explanation, examples, and key rules.
6. Error correction — Find and fix the mistake in each sentence — a great grammar workout.
7. Practical English — Learn phrases for discussing a job offer — ready to use in real conversations.
8. Matching — Connect words, phrases, or concepts to their correct counterparts.
9. Discussion — Reflect on the topic and share your opinions using the language you've learned.

Vocabulary

This lesson introduces 5 key terms drawn directly from the article:

• To meet someone halfway — to compromise or make a concession to someone, especially during a disagreement or negotiation.
• A sticking point — a specific issue or problem that is preventing progress or stopping an agreement from being reached.
• To bring something to the table — to contribute a valuable skill, idea, or quality to a job, project, or discussion.
• Room for manoeuvre — the opportunity or flexibility to change your position or decisions to achieve a goal.
• To stand one's ground — to maintain your position and refuse to change your opinion, even when facing pressure or opposition.

Grammar

This lesson focuses on Indirect questions.

Indirect questions are a more polite and formal way to ask for information. Instead of asking a direct question, we use introductory phrases to soften the request. This is especially useful in professional situations like salary negotiations to sound less demanding and more collaborative.

Examples from the lesson:

• Could you tell me if there is any flexibility on the base salary? — We use an introductory phrase ('Could you tell me...') and change the word order of the original question ('Is there...?') to a statement form.
• I was wondering what the typical bonus structure looks like. — For 'wh-' questions, the verb comes after the subject. Incorrect: '...what does the structure look like?'. Correct: '...what the structure looks like.'
• I would be interested to know when I can expect to receive the full written offer. — This structure is a statement that contains a question, so it ends with a period, not a question mark.

Key rules:

• Always start with a polite introductory phrase (e.g., 'I was wondering...', 'Could you explain...').
• After the introductory phrase, use statement word order (subject + verb), not question word order.
• Pay attention to punctuation: if the introductory phrase is a question ('Can you tell me...?'), use a question mark. If it's a statement ('I'd like to know...'), use a period.

Practical English

Discussing a job offer

When you receive a job offer, you might need to discuss the salary or benefits. These phrases will help you negotiate politely and professionally, showing that you are confident in your value while also being collaborative.

Phrases you'll learn:

• "''Thank you so much for the offer. I'm very excited about the opportunity.''" — to express gratitude and enthusiasm.
• "''I was wondering if there is any flexibility on the proposed salary?''" — to gently open the negotiation.
• "''Based on my experience and the market rate for this role, I was hoping for a figure closer to [your target number].''" — to make a clear and reasoned counter-proposal.
• "''Considering my background in [specific skill] and my ability to [achieve a result], I feel that a higher salary would better reflect the value I can bring to the team.''" — to justify your request.
• "''Is there a way we could bridge the gap between the initial offer and my salary expectations?''" — to invite collaboration and compromise.