Tom Kelsey, a 26-year-old YouTuber from Lincoln, decided to quit his job at the council to play the popular computer game Football Manager all the time. Since making this change, he says he’s making twice as much money. Kelsey started his YouTube channel while he was a student at Nottingham Trent University and now posts about three videos a week. He runs his channel from his bedroom at his parents’ house and likes being his own boss.

Football Manager is a game where you manage a football club. It became popular in 2004 and has kept growing. Kelsey’s YouTube channel has over 100,000 subscribers and gets about a million views each month. He makes money from the ads on his videos, which lets him earn more than he did at his old job.

Kelsey left his job at Lincolnshire County Council in August 2022 to focus on YouTube. Now he makes twice as much money and enjoys being his own boss. He spends around 50 to 60 hours a week playing Football Manager, which might sound like a lot, but it’s a dream come true for him.

Even though it’s not a typical job, Kelsey’s family and friends support his decision to play video games for a living. He knows it’s an unusual career, but he wants to keep doing it for as long as possible. His YouTube channel keeps getting more popular, and he wants to make the most of this opportunity.

In summary, Tom Kelsey’s choice to quit his job and play Football Manager full time has worked out well. He now makes twice as much money and enjoys the freedom of being his own boss. His YouTube channel has lots of fans, and he plans to keep following his passion for as long as he can.

Original news source: I left my job to play Football Manager full time’ (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Students pair up and take on the roles of a news reporter and Tom Kelsey. The reporter interviews Kelsey about his decision to quit his job and become a full-time YouTuber. Encourage the ‘Kelsey’ character to elaborate on the experience and the ‘reporter’ to ask probing questions. Afterward, they switch roles.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Each group discusses their views on pursuing a career in gaming and content creation, like Kelsey has. After the discussion, conduct a poll to see how many students would be willing to quit a traditional job for an opportunity like this and how many would not. Share the results with the whole class and discuss the reasoning behind their choices.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key terms from the article (e.g., YouTuber, subscribers, manage, council, videos, ads, career). Students take turns drawing the words on the board, while the rest of the class guesses the vocabulary. This helps reinforce new terms and ensures comprehension of the article.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Have students write a short paragraph predicting where they see Tom Kelsey in 5 years based on the article. They should use language of speculation and future tense. After writing, they can share their predictions with a partner or the class and discuss the likelihood of their predictions.

– Mind Map
Instructions: In groups, students create a mind map on a large piece of paper that starts with Tom Kelsey at the center. Then they branch out to include aspects of his life and career, such as ‘YouTube channel’, ‘Football Manager’, ‘previous job at the council’, ‘income’, ‘family support’, etc. Encourage them to add sub-branches with additional details they can recall from the article. This activity helps with summarizing and organizing information.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What did Tom Kelsey do for a living before he started playing Football Manager full time?
2. How does Tom Kelsey earn money from his YouTube channel?
3. How many videos does Kelsey typically post on his YouTube channel each week?
4. Where does Kelsey operate his YouTube channel from?
5. How many hours per week does Kelsey spend playing Football Manager?
6. What year did the game Football Manager first become popular?
7. What is Kelsey’s attitude toward his current job playing video games for a living?
8. What are Kelsey’s future plans for his YouTube channel and career in playing Football Manager?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Tom (1)______, a 26-year-old YouTuber from Lincoln, decided to quit his job at the council to play the popular computer game Football (2)______ all the time. Since (3)______ this change, he says he’s making twice as much money. Kelsey started his YouTube (4)______ while he was a student at Nottingham Trent University and now posts about three videos a week. He runs his channel from his bedroom at his parents’ house and likes being his own boss.

Football Manager is a game where you manage a (5)______ club. It (6)______ popular in 2004 and has kept growing. Kelsey’s YouTube channel has over 100,000 subscribers and gets about a million views each month. He makes money from the ads on his (7)______, which lets him earn more than he did at his old job.

Kelsey left his job at Lincolnshire (8)______ Council in August 2022 to focus on YouTube. Now he makes twice as much money and enjoys being his own boss. He (9)______ around 50 to 60 hours a week playing Football Manager, which might sound like a lot, but it’s a dream come true for him.

Even though it’s not a (10)______ job, Kelsey’s family and friends (11)______ his decision to play video games for a living. He knows it’s an unusual career, but he wants to keep (12)______ it for as long as possible. His YouTube channel keeps (13)______ more popular, and he wants to make the most of this opportunity.

In summary, Tom Kelsey’s choice to quit his job and play Football Manager full time has worked out well. He now makes twice as much money and (14)______ the (15)______ of being his own boss. His YouTube channel has lots of fans, and he plans to keep following his (16)______ for as long as he can.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is your dream job and why?
2. How would you feel if you could make money playing your favorite game?
3. Do you think it’s a good idea to quit a regular job to follow a passion? Why or why not?
4. What are the risks of being self-employed, like Tom Kelsey?
5. Do you like the idea of working from home? Why or why not?
6. How important is it to have the support of family and friends when choosing a career?
7. Do you think making videos for YouTube is a reliable career choice? Why or why not?
8. What do you think are the benefits of being your own boss?
9. If you had a YouTube channel, what would you want to share with the world?
10. How do you think someone becomes successful on YouTube?
11. Do you think spending 50 to 60 hours a week on a hobby is too much? Why or why not?
12. Can playing video games be considered a real job? Why or why not?
13. What would you do if you started earning twice as much money as you do now?
14. Do you believe it’s important to do what you love for a living? Why or why not?
15. How do you think Tom Kelsey’s life might change if he wasn’t able to play Football Manager anymore?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. YouTuber
2. council
3. videos
4. subscribers
5. ads
6. career
7. opportunity
8. passion

Meanings:
(a) Short commercials that play before or during a video
(b) A person who makes and posts videos online
(c) A group of people who make decisions for a town or city
(d) Something that you love and enjoy doing a lot
(e) Short films that you can watch on the internet
(f) A chance to do something that could be good for you
(g) The job or profession that you choose to do for a long time
(h) People who follow and watch your videos regularly
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is Tom Kelsey’s job now?
(a) Teacher
(b) Doctor
(c) Chef
(d) YouTuber

2. How often does Tom post videos on his YouTube channel?
(a) About once a week
(b) About twice a month
(c) About three times a week
(d) About five times a day

3. How many subscribers does Tom’s YouTube channel have?
(a) Over 10,000
(b) Over 100,000
(c) Over 1,000
(d) Over 500

4. How many views does Tom’s YouTube channel get each month?
(a) About a hundred thousand
(b) About ten thousand
(c) About a thousand
(d) About a million

5. How does Tom make money from his YouTube channel?
(a) From the ads on his videos
(b) From selling merchandise
(c) From donations from his fans
(d) From sponsorships with companies

6. What did Tom do before he started playing Football Manager full time?
(a) Went to university
(b) Played video games as a hobby
(c) Worked at the council
(d) Traveled the world

7. How many hours a week does Tom spend playing Football Manager?
(a) Around 50 to 60 hours
(b) Around 10 to 20 hours
(c) Around 30 to 40 hours
(d) Around 70 to 80 hours

8. How does Tom feel about his decision to play video games for a living?
(a) He regrets it and wants to go back to his old job
(b) He enjoys it and wants to keep doing it
(c) He is unsure and wants to try something else
(d) He is bored and wants to find a new hobby

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Since quitting his job, Kelsey says he’s making half as much money as before.
2. Kelsey started his YouTube channel while he was a student and now posts about three videos a month.
3. Kelsey’s family and friends oppose his decision to play video games for a living, and he plans to discontinue doing it as soon as possible.
4. Kelsey’s YouTube channel has over 100,000 subscribers and gets about a million views each month.
5. Tom Kelsey, a 26-year-old YouTuber, decided to quit his job at the council to play a popular computer game called Football Manager all the time.
6. He runs his YouTube channel from his bedroom at his parents’ house and enjoys being his own boss.
7. He earns money from the ads on his videos, which allows him to earn more than his old job.
8. Football Manager is a game where you manage a football club and it has been popular since 2004.
Go to answers ⇩

Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What did Tom Kelsey do before he started playing Football Manager full time?
2. How does Tom Kelsey earn money from his YouTube channel?
3. How many hours a week does Kelsey spend playing Football Manager, and how does he feel about it?
4. What is the reaction of Kelsey’s family and friends to his unusual career choice?
5. What are Tom Kelsey’s future plans for his YouTube channel and career?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did Tom Kelsey do for a living before he started playing Football Manager full time?
Tom Kelsey worked at the council before he quit to play Football Manager full time.

2. How does Tom Kelsey earn money from his YouTube channel?
Tom Kelsey earns money from the ads that appear on his YouTube videos.

3. How many videos does Kelsey typically post on his YouTube channel each week?
Kelsey typically posts about three videos a week on his YouTube channel.

4. Where does Kelsey operate his YouTube channel from?
Kelsey operates his YouTube channel from his bedroom at his parents’ house.

5. How many hours per week does Kelsey spend playing Football Manager?
Kelsey spends around 50 to 60 hours a week playing Football Manager.

6. What year did the game Football Manager first become popular?
Football Manager first became popular in 2004.

7. What is Kelsey’s attitude toward his current job playing video games for a living?
Kelsey enjoys being his own boss and wants to keep playing video games for a living for as long as possible.

8. What are Kelsey’s future plans for his YouTube channel and career in playing Football Manager?
Kelsey plans to continue growing his YouTube channel and wants to make the most of the opportunity to play Football Manager as a career.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Kelsey
(2) Manager
(3) making
(4) channel
(5) football
(6) became
(7) videos
(8) County
(9) spends
(10) typical
(11) support
(12) doing
(13) getting
(14) enjoys
(15) freedom
(16) passion
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. YouTuber
Answer: (b) A person who makes and posts videos online

2. council
Answer: (c) A group of people who make decisions for a town or city

3. videos
Answer: (e) Short films that you can watch on the internet

4. subscribers
Answer: (h) People who follow and watch your videos regularly

5. ads
Answer: (a) Short commercials that play before or during a video

6. career
Answer: (g) The job or profession that you choose to do for a long time

7. opportunity
Answer: (f) A chance to do something that could be good for you

8. passion
Answer: (d) Something that you love and enjoy doing a lot
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is Tom Kelsey’s job now?
Answer: (d) YouTuber

2. How often does Tom post videos on his YouTube channel?
Answer: (c) About three times a week

3. How many subscribers does Tom’s YouTube channel have?
Answer: (b) Over 100,000

4. How many views does Tom’s YouTube channel get each month?
Answer: (d) About a million

5. How does Tom make money from his YouTube channel?
Answer: (a) From the ads on his videos

6. What did Tom do before he started playing Football Manager full time?
Answer: (c) Worked at the council

7. How many hours a week does Tom spend playing Football Manager?
Answer: (a) Around 50 to 60 hours

8. How does Tom feel about his decision to play video games for a living?
Answer: (b) He enjoys it and wants to keep doing it
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Since quitting his job, Kelsey says he’s making half as much money as before. (Answer: False)
2. Kelsey started his YouTube channel while he was a student and now posts about three videos a month. (Answer: False)
3. Kelsey’s family and friends oppose his decision to play video games for a living, and he plans to discontinue doing it as soon as possible. (Answer: False)
4. Kelsey’s YouTube channel has over 100,000 subscribers and gets about a million views each month. (Answer: True)
5. Tom Kelsey, a 26-year-old YouTuber, decided to quit his job at the council to play a popular computer game called Football Manager all the time. (Answer: False)
6. He runs his YouTube channel from his bedroom at his parents’ house and enjoys being his own boss. (Answer: True)
7. He earns money from the ads on his videos, which allows him to earn more than his old job. (Answer: True)
8. Football Manager is a game where you manage a football club and it has been popular since 2004. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧