Practice section
Living & Working Here: everyday work culture
Living & Working Here is about everyday work culture in your destination country. You read a short situation, choose one of three replies and learn why one reply works best.
What Living & Working Here is
Work is not only tools and tasks. It is also how people greet each other, ask questions and talk to the boss. These habits are different in each country. This section gives you short situations that match the country you chose.
There are six topics:
- greetings and small talk
- workplace communication style
- humour and tone
- hierarchy and authority (how you speak with a boss or supervisor)
- day-to-day systems literacy (the everyday systems used on a work site)
- work rights and safety basics
Who it helps
This section helps you if:
- you have never worked in your destination country
- you are not sure how formal to be with a boss or a workmate
- you find workplace jokes and small talk hard to follow
- you want to know how to speak up about a safety problem
How a topic works
Choose a topic
Pick one of the six topics under "Choose a topic".
Read the situation
Read "What you hear" and "The situation". They describe a moment at work.
Choose a reply
Read the question and choose one of the three replies.
Read your feedback
You see a score and an explanation for your reply. If it was not the best one, you also see the best answer.
Listen
Press "Listen to a good reply" to hear how a good reply can sound.
Go on
Press "Next topic", or press "Try again" to answer the same topic again.
How it is marked
There is no AI marking here, and you do not speak. Each of the three replies has a fixed score, shown as a percentage, and a written explanation. A reply is not only right or wrong. It can be fair but not the best, and the explanation tells you why. Your "Cultural score" is the average of your answers so far.
This section does not use marked questions from your plan. See pricing for what counts as a marked question.
Tips for getting the most from it
- Choose the reply you would really give, not the one that looks safest.
- When your reply was not the best, read both explanations.
- Read the "Remember" line. It gives the main point in one sentence.
- Press "Listen to a good reply", then say it out loud yourself.
- Use what you learn in the spoken questions of Real-Life Scenarios.
- Every workplace is a little different. For your legal work rights, check the official government website.
What a question looks like
The example below is a real situation from Living & Working Here. It is shown without the scores or the best reply, the same way you see it before you choose. Read the situation and decide which reply you would give.
Topic: Morning "How are ya going, mate?" at the Smoko Shed
What you hear: “Morning mate, how was your weekend? Footy was madness yesterday, yeah?” You arrive on your first week at a commercial site in Australia. As you walk into the break shed at 6:45 AM, the lead tradesperson looks up with a coffee and says the morning greeting above.
How should you respond to set a warm, natural impression with your new team?
- Smile warmly, reply with a friendly answer (“Good thanks, mate! Ready to get stuck in today”), and ask a brief return question or comment on the work ahead.
- Give a polite single-word response (“Good”) and immediately open your technical manual in the corner without further conversation.
- Formally bow or salute, address the tradesperson as “Sir / Senior Master Technician,” and ask for formal written orders.
A real question from the practice bank. The model answer is shown only after you answer.
More ways to practise
Questions and answers
Are the situations for my country?
Yes. The situations match your destination country: Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or Canada.
Does this section use my marked questions?
No. There is no AI marking in this section, so it does not use marked questions.
Is this legal or migration advice?
No. It is general practice about everyday work culture. For work rights and visa rules, check the official government website.
Do I need to speak?
No. You read, choose a reply and listen to a good reply.
How is the cultural score worked out?
It is the average of the scores for the replies you chose.
Learn how people talk at work
Create your account, choose your destination country and open your first topic.