British Slang For Job (Explained!)

The most common British slang terms for job are “calling,” “craft,” “trade” or “walk of life”. In Cockney rhyming slang, a job is often referred to as an “Uncle Bob”. Jobs also have a lot of negatively associated slang terms such as drudgery, the grind, or the 9-5.

Jobs are really more often simply referred to as “jobs” in Britain.

Slang terms for them exist, but they tend to be either more specific in their scope with certain specific connotations, or are only used in very specific regions, like “Uncle Bob”.

In any case a lot of these terms are often used, so let’s find out more.

In This Article

What do the British call jobs?

The British have a variety of terms for job that might be used in different circumstances.

It’s probably worth stressing, though, that for the most part, “job” is definitely the most common term to describe one’s occupation.

It’s not a slang term but it simply is the term that is most commonly used for someone’s job.

So, you’ll get by just fine using only this term.

There are, though, some slang terms for jobs in some cases.

“Calling” is one of these, as in “this work is my calling”.

The sense is that this is the work someone feels they are meant to do, it is what “calls” to them in life, their destined path, the work that brings them the most joy and pleasure.

So, naturally, this is not a term that everyone uses for their job—not everyone is lucky enough to love their jobs!

“Craft” or “trade” are similar, more reserved slang terms used for jobs in Britain.

This is generally used in certain kinds of hands-on jobs, like woodwork, art, or other creative pursuits.

That said, it is definitely applied more broadly to jobs in general.

Again, this is the kind of thing you would use for a job you like a lot or at least are very good at.

On the flip side, many may refer to their job in the sense that it drains them.

“The drudgery” is a common slang term for day-to-day work life, as is the “grind” or the “9-5”.

These terms are probably more common in everyday use than others we’ve looked at so far, since, as I said, most people tend to find their jobs to be a grind.

Other than that, one regional slang term you’ll only hear in the East End of London for jobs is “Uncle Bob”.

This doesn’t tell you anything about the job itself, unlike the terms we’ve looked at so far—it’s simply a stand in for the word “job”.

Why do the British say “calling”?

Calling is a very old term for one’s profession, with ancient roots.

However, in the sense it has come down to us today of one’s vocation, profession, trade or occupation, this derives from the 15^th Century.

This is when it started being used in Britain.

However, the word itself in this sense actually traces back to Corinthians, from the Bible.

Of course, we are talking about how translators interpreted the original Ancient Greek of the Bible in the 16^th Century, but nonetheless this is where we ultimately get this term.

So, the word itself derives from the 16^th Century, but has much older roots.

Why do the British say “craft” or “trade”?

Craft and trade are, unsurprisingly, very old terms.

They have the sense of someone’s skilled work today because of their etymological roots.

“Craft” comes from the Old English word craeft, meaning “skill or dexterity”.

“Trade” in this modern sense derives from the 1540s, where it had the sense of one’s manner or course in life.

Both related to a specific profession or skill, whether it was skilled trading or skilled craftsmanship of one kind or another.

Why do the British say “drudgery”?

A lot of slang terms for work derive from the 16^th Century, or at least were first recorded at that time.

The same is true of “drudgery”.

This term is also first recorded in the 1540s, and originally meant the labor of a drudge, a sense of spiritless and hardship in the daily toil of work.

This came from the older word druggen, from the late 14^th Century, which meant to work hard, in particular at a monotonous and servile job.

So, this is where it gets its strong negative connotations from.

Why do the British say “Uncle Bob”?

“Uncle Bob” is an example of Cockney rhyming slang, so it’s important to stress that you won’t hear this one used much outside the East End of London.

That said, Cockney rhyming slang is quite iconic and popular even outside of London, so many may understand what you mean.

There really isn’t much to say about the origin of this term beyond the fact that the phrase rhymes with the word “job”.

Many pieces of Cockney rhyming slang have some historical basis in an actual person, event, or entity the slang refers to.

As far as we can tell with this one, though, this isn’t really the case.

The British do have a good variety of colorful terms for job, then.

Again, for the most part, most people tend to simply call their jobs a job.

They might use these terms in more specific circumstances, for example if they are describing what they want to do with their life in terms of their job, or if they are complaining about how boring their job is.

More in British Slang

Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

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