B1 Preliminary (PET) Practice Paper 23

alice: Thanks for meeting with me. I'm thinking about leaving my job in marketing to train as a physiotherapist. george: That's a big decision! What's making you consider such a significant change? alice: I feel like my current job doesn't let me help people directly, and I've always been interested in healthcare. george: That makes sense. Have you looked into what qualifications you would need? alice: Yes, I'd need a three-year degree, which I could study part-time while working, though it would take about five years that way. george: That's a serious commitment. Have you thought about how you would manage financially during that time? alice: I've saved some money, and I could probably reduce my working hours rather than stopping completely. george: That sounds sensible. Would you recommend speaking to someone already working in that field? alice: Definitely, actually I've already arranged to shadow a physiotherapist for a day next month to see what the job really involves.

After working as an accountant for over a decade, Marcus made the difficult decision to change careers and become a secondary school teacher. Friends and family were surprised, since he had always seemed content with his stable, well-paid job in finance. However, Marcus had gradually become dissatisfied, feeling that his daily work lacked any meaningful connection to other people's lives. The transition was not straightforward. Marcus had to complete a teaching qualification while working part-time to cover his living costs, which meant a significant drop in income for nearly two years. His first year in the classroom was also more exhausting than he had anticipated, as managing a room of thirty teenagers required skills he had never needed in his previous career. Despite these challenges, Marcus has no regrets. He describes the moment a struggling student finally understood a difficult mathematics concept as more rewarding than any financial bonus he ever received as an accountant. Three years into his new career, Marcus mentors trainee teachers and often tells them that career changes, though frightening, can lead to far greater satisfaction than staying in a comfortable but unfulfilling job.

Changing careers later in life ___1___ increasingly common as people seek more meaningful work. When my aunt ___2___ to leave her job as a lawyer to become a nurse, many people thought she ___3___ making a mistake. She had spent nearly fifteen years building a successful legal career, so the decision seemed risky to those around her. However, she ___4___ that helping patients directly would bring her more satisfaction than any legal case ever had. The training was demanding, and she ___5___ to study alongside much younger students, which she found humbling at times. After qualifying, she ___6___ in a busy hospital, where she now works long shifts but rarely complains. She says that if she ___7___ her old job, she would feel she was ___8___ a life that no longer matched her values.