Starting Up

Exercise 1. Answer the following questions:

1. What types of jobs are there in Customs?

2. Do Customs officers wear uniform?

3. Are there physical requirements for joining Customs?

4. What qualities do you need to become a Customs officer?

Word Study

Exercise 2. Study the following:

to interact with people – работать с людьми

skills – умения, навыки

qualification – квалификация

preference – предпочтение

accounting/finance – бухгалтерский учет/финансы

Exercise 3. Match left and right.

1) training courses	a) карьерный рост
2) a reputation for integrity and honesty	b) внешняя торговля
3) potential risks	c) правовые дисциплины
4) career progression	d) правительственное учреждение
5) the flow of people and goods	e) курсы повышения квалификации
6) legal studies	f) репутация честного и неподкупного человека
7) international trade	g) потенциальные риски
8) the government agency	h) передвижение физических лиц и товаров

Exercise 4. Give your own definitions of the following words:

agency, community, qualifications, experience, profession, training, trade, border.

Exercise 5. Fill in the table of derivatives.

Verb	Noun	Adjective / Participle
interact
	difference
		protecting
manage
		expecting
	policy

Reading and Speaking

Exercise 6. Read the text to answer the following questions:

1. What career opportunities are open to students studying Customs Business?

2. What skills are essential for this job?

3. Who may find the career at the Customs interesting?

4. What does it take to make a good executive at the Customs?

5. What makes the Customs officer so important?

Text 1 Customs Officer Career

Customs is the government agency with the job of protecting the community from potential risks arising from international trade and travel. There are not many jobs where you get such a good opportunity to interact with lots of people and see what is happening in many different countries. Thus managing the flow of people and goods across any border is international.

There are basic criteria, skills, experience and qualifications for any position in the Customs Service. Usually there is a preference for people who have necessary qualification or previous experience.

General skills that are also expected of a Customs officer are:

• good people skills, team skills;

• computer related skills;

• a reputation for integrity and honesty.

The following subjects may also improve the chances: accounting/finance; business with languages; legal studies. That’s why career progression at the Customs is largely up to the individual. Training is considered very important and can be on-the-job or at specific training courses.

This job is interesting for those who are comfortable interacting with people at all different levels and have a certain understanding of government and policy processes.

Exercise 7. Pronounce the following words correctly:

Academy, variety, enterprise, private, agency, technology, experimental, region, agenda, aware, accomplish.

Exercise 8. Look through the interview given below and find the English equivalents for:

полный рабочий день, разнообразие, предприятие, частный, давать советы, выполнять задачи, брифинг, бумажная волокита, осознавать, рабочая обстановка, персонал, вносить вклад, участвовать, международное сотрудничество, быть ответственным за кого/что-либо, руководство, продвижение по службе.

Exercise 9. Look through the interview given below and discuss it in class.

Interviewer: When and why did you decide to join the Customs?

Sergei: I became interested in this job when I was studying at the Customs Academy. When I finished my degree I decided to apply for a full-time job in Rostov Customs where I could put my Academy skills to good use.

Interviewer: What do you like about your job?

Sergei: The best part of my job is the variety. One day I might be coordinating Customs inspection of different enterprises or private businessmen and the next I might be working with other agencies providing advice on how to use new information technologies.

Interviewer: What new Customs technologies help accomplish your tasks?

Sergei: Throughout the years Rostov Customs has experimented with many new technologies. Thus, in 2009 it began using electronic declaration on the Internet.

Interviewer: What do you actually do?

Sergei: Our team is responsible for leading our international links and providing advice to other Customs of the region in performance of their duties. I also organize the brief meetings for the staff.

Interviewer: What about dislikes?

Sergei: Sometimes there is also quite a lot of writing, e.g. red-tape job. I dislike it.

Interviewer: Do you have any promotion prospects?

Sergei: I think so. Moreover, from my own experience in Customs, I am well aware of the important role that good leadership can play in my career. The head of our department creates favourable work environment where all staff have an opportunity to participate and contribute.

Exercise 10. Fill in the gaps with suitable prepositions if necessary. Find false statements and correct them.

1. Customs revenues provide the income ______ the Federal Assembly.

2. The duty ______ a Customs officer is only to punish people ______ various Customs violations.

3. A lawyer protects ______ offenders.

4. Customs officers collect _____ passengers’ visas and prevent _____ Customs taxes.

5. Customs responsibilities include checking _____ passengers’ declarations and inspecting _____ their baggage.

6. Lawyers are responsible _____ criminals.

7. Customs officers confiscate all the articles entering and departing _____ the state.

Exercise 11. Match left and right.

Customs violations	таможенные платежи
money laundering	федеральный бюджет
inspection of baggage	пассажирская декларация
smuggling of goods	обязанности
internal corruption	валютные нарушения
federal budget	отмывание денег
Customs revenues	таможенные нарушения
passenger declaration	проверка багажа
currency violations	контрабанда товаров
10)responsibilities	внутренняя коррупция

Exercise 12. Read Text 2 to answer the following questions:

1. When was the day of the Customs officer introduced?

2. What does this holiday demonstrate?

3. What system was actively implemented?

4. What does the Customs Service demonstrate?

5. Why do Customs officers need modern means of control?