work , job ，position, vocation, occupation, employment, trade, profession, career 同义词是有区别的。这组词都有“工作、职业”的意思，其区别如下：
1.work 指任何种类的工作，也泛指职业。不可数名词。最普通用词，含义广泛，既可指体力劳动也可指脑力劳动，通常都以挣钱为目的，有时也指机器干的工作。
We have more work than we can deal with.
我们的工作多得做不完。
Work can bring you pleasure.
工作能给人带来快乐。
He started work when he was just 15.
他15岁就开始工作了。
Only those who love their work can enjoy the delight in work.
只有热爱工作的人才能享受到工作中的乐趣。
2.job 通常指任何种类的工作，尤其是指按小时计算工资的工作（当然包括临时性工作）。可数名词。多用于口语，侧重指受雇用的、以谋生为目的的工作。
Peter does odd jobs for his neighbours.
彼得给邻居们打零工。
Sorting these reports out is going to be a hard job.
整理这些报告是件很辛苦的事。
Her daughter has a job in a bank.
她女儿在银行里有份工作。
The job requires much hard labour.
这项工作要付出很多艰苦的劳动。
3.position通常指有固定工资的工作。尤其是白领工作或教高级的工作。
He held a senior position in a large company.
他在一家大公司担任高级职务。
I should like to apply for the position of Sales Director.
我想申请销售部主任一职。
He left a career in teaching to take up a position with the Arts Council.
他辞去教学工作到艺术委员会任职。
How do you view your position within the company?
你如何看待你自己在公司中的位置？
She has an executive position in a finance company.
她是一家金融公司的领导层成员。
He elevated many of his friends to powerful positions within the government.
他将许多朋友都提拔到政府部门的要职上。
4.labour工作，劳动。尤指艰苦的体力劳动。不可数名词
manual labour 体力劳动
I left because the job was just slave labour.
我之所以离开是因为那工作简直是奴隶干的。
In return for his labour, he receives food and shelter.
他以他辛苦的劳动换取食物和栖身之所。
The price will include the labour and materials.
此价格中包含人工费和材料费。
The company wants to keep down labour costs .
公司想保持低劳动成本。
The workers voted to withdraw their labour .
工人投票决定罢工以示抗议。
He was sentenced to two years in a labour camp .
他被判处两年劳改。
Every man should receive a fair price for the product of his labour
每个人的劳动成果都应该获得合理的回报。
[可数名词, 通常用复数形式] (formal)任务；（一段时间的）工作
He was so exhausted from the day's labours that he went straight to bed.
他工作了一天疲惫不堪，便直接上床休息了。
5.toil (正式)苦工，辛苦；指十分累人的苦活。不可数名词。
A life of toil is generally the price of fame and success.
劳苦的一生通常是声望和成功的代价。
I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.
我无可奉献，除了鲜血、辛劳、泪水和汗水。
Every single grain is the result of toil.
每一粒粮食都来之不易。
6.vocation 较正式用词，语气庄重，指长期从事，但不一定以此为主计的职业。指某人认为特别适合自己的工作。
Her vocation is her work as an actress...
她的职业就是当演员。
He believed that to be a writer was his true vocation.
他认为当作家是他真正的使命。
Nursing is not just a job─it's a vocation.
护理不仅仅是一项工作，而且还是一种职业。
She believes that she has found her true vocation in life.
她相信自己找到了真正适合自己的生活方式。
You missed your vocation─you should have been an actor.
你干错行了，你本该当演员。
不要用 occupation 一词来谈论自己的职业，如可以说：I'm a teacher.（我是老师。）但不能说：My occupation is a teacher.
7.occupation 泛指任何一种职业，既不分什么行业，也不管是脑力还是体力劳动。通常不用来谈论自己的职业，多用于表格填写或正式书面语中。
Please state your occupation in the box below.
请把你的职业写在下面的方框内。
Unskilled manual occupations usually don't earn much.
没有技术含量的体力工作通常挣钱不多。
8.employment 指受雇于他人，领取工资以谋生计，有较固定工作的职业。
Graduates are finding it more and more difficult to find employment.
毕业生感到找工作越来越难。
She was seventeen and she had no education or employment
她17岁，未受过教育，也没有工作。
There is a learning curve in the process of seeking employment.
找工作有一个经验累积的过程。
They had a right to seek alternative employment.
他们有权另谋高就。
She was unable to find employment.
她没能找到工作。
She couldn't find any regular employment.
她找不到任何固定工作。
Neither of them is currently in paid employment.
他们俩目前都没有挣钱的差事。
Many students now have paid employment during term.
现在许多学生在上学期间就从事有薪工作。
She was in continuous employment until the age of sixty-five.
她连续不断地受雇于人，一直工作到六十五岁。
He regularly drove from his home to his place of employment.
他定期开车往返于家和工作地点之间。
9.profession 以前常指要受过高等教育(尤指法律、医学和神学)才能获得的职业，现在一般指为谋生日的职业，尤指从事脑力劳动和受过专门训练，具有某种专业知识的职业。
Many students have the intention of joining the legal profession.
很多学生打算投身法律行业。
She is a nurse by profession.
她的职业是护士。
10.career 指经过专门训练，终身愿意、希望从事的职业。
His first concern while looking for a job is career prospects.
他找工作时首先关注的是职业前景。
She tries to balance home life and career.
她力图兼顾家庭生活和事业。
She has successfully combined a career and bringing up a family.
她成功地兼顾了事业和抚养子女。
She's built a new career for herself.
她为自己开辟了一条新的谋生之路。
She sacrificed a promising career to take care of her family.
她为了照顾家庭而牺牲了很有前途的事业。
She has been concentrating on her career.
她一直专心致志于她的本职工作。
It was time to stand back and take stock of his career.
他该从旁观者的角度来反思一下自己的职业生涯了。
She started her career as an English teacher.
她以当英语教师开始了她的职业生涯。
He began his political career as a student.
他从当学生时起就开始了他的政治生涯。
She gave the greatest performance of her career.
她做了演艺生涯中最精彩的表演。
She is now concentrating on a career as a fashion designer.
她目前正专注于服装设计师的工作。
She took the new job to further her career.
她接受了这项新工作以进一步发展她的事业。
Getting a job in marketing was a good career move.
找份市场营销的工作是一个不错的职业选择。
11. trade 指需要有熟练技巧、技能和体力的职业。
the building/food/tourist, etc. trade
建筑业、食品业、旅游业等
He works in the retail trade.
他做零售工作。
He was a carpenter by trade .
他以木工为业。
When she leaves school, she wants to learn a trade.
她毕业后想学一门手艺。
He learnt his trade as a diver in the North Sea.
他在北海学会了潜水员这一行的本事。