Work adjectives: describing a job

Question 1

Difficult, in a way that tests your ability or determination / difficult to deal with or achieve, especially in a way that forces you to prove your skill or determination to succeed.

“Between the rocks, glaciers and slippery slopes, mountain guiding can be an extremely ________ job. It’s physically demanding and you need a lot of stamina to climb mountains day in and day out”

Answer 1

Challenging

Question 2

Not changing and therefore boring / lacking in variety; tediously unvarying.

“I’m a checkout assistant in a supermarket. I really enjoy my job, but it can be a bit ________ and repetitive. I have to do exactly the same thing every day”

Answer 2

Monotonous

Question 3

Affording satisfaction, valuable experience, or the like; worthwhile/ affording financial or material gain, profitable.

“I’m a primary school teacher. I find working with young children very ________. It makes me happy because it’s useful and important”

Answer 3

Rewarding

Question 4

Providing incentive or impelling to action / Using incentives, persuasion, and mental or physical stimulants to influence the way people think or behave individually or in groups.

“I work in a small graphic design company and my job’s really ________. The kind of work I do and the people I work with make me want to work harder (do better)”

Answer 4

Motivating

Question 5

Needing a lot of time, attention, or energy.

“Being a surgeon is very ___________. It’s very high pressure and you have to work long hours”

Answer 5

Demanding

Question 6

Boring and tiring, esp. because long or often repeated.

“I work at an accounting firm. My job is incredibly _______. It’s really boring and it makes me feel impatient all the time”

Answer 6

Tedious