🎬 Interactive video — script & questions
SPEAKER 1: So, you've been thinking about leaving your job at the bank. What brought this on?
SPEAKER 2: Well, I've been there for seven years now, and I'm starting to feel unfulfilled. The salary is decent, but if I'm honest, I'd rather be doing something more creative. Had I known how monotonous it would become, I might have pursued graphic design instead.
SPEAKER 1: That's quite a shift. Have you already made up your mind?
SPEAKER 2: Not entirely. I've been offered a freelance position designing logos and websites, but it's risky. I'd be earning less initially, and there's no job security. My family thinks I should have stayed put, but they don't understand my frustration.
SPEAKER 1: What if things don't work out in the first year?
SPEAKER 2: That's what scares me most. If I'd saved more money, I'd be more confident about making the leap. Still, if I don't try now, I'll regret it for the rest of my life. My boss did suggest I could return if I changed my mind, which is some reassurance.
SPEAKER 1: Sounds like you need to weigh up the pros and cons carefully. Whatever you decide, you must have given it serious thought.
SPEAKER 2: Thanks. I know I should make a decision soon, but right now I'm torn between security and passion.
- What position has Speaker 2 been offered?
- a) A project manager role at a larger bank
- b) A freelance position designing logos and websites
- c) A full-time graphic design job at an agency
- d) A senior position at her current company
- Why is Speaker 2 hesitant about accepting the new opportunity?
- a) She doesn't have the necessary design skills
- b) It offers lower pay and no job security
- c) Her boss has threatened to fire her
- d) She is worried about disappointing her colleagues
- What does Speaker 2 regret about her career choice?
- a) Choosing to study graphic design at university
- b) Not saving enough money before considering a change
- c) Accepting the bank job in the first place
- d) Not asking her family's permission earlier
- According to Speaker 2, how long has she worked at the bank?
- a) Three years
- b) Five years
- c) Seven years
- d) Ten years
- What reassurance has Speaker 2's boss provided?
- a) A salary increase if she stays
- b) The option to return if the new job doesn't work out
- c) A flexible working arrangement
- d) A promotion within the next year
📖 Reading
Maria had worked as a graphic designer for the same advertising agency for almost eight years when she decided it was time for a change. She wasn't unhappy with her job, exactly, but she had started to feel that her creativity was being wasted on projects she didn't care about. 'If I don't do something different now,' she told a friend, 'I'll regret it later.' So, after months of careful planning, she quit her stable job and set up a small freelance business from her spare bedroom.
The first few months were tougher than she had expected. Clients were slow to pay, and she often found herself working late into the night to meet deadlines. Her savings, which she had assumed would last at least a year, were disappearing much faster than she had calculated. At one particularly low point, she even wondered whether she should have stayed in her old position, where a salary arrived in her account every month without fail.
What kept her going, she says, was the gradual realisation that she was finally building something that belonged entirely to her. By the end of the first year, word of mouth had brought in enough regular clients to cover her basic expenses, and she no longer had to dip into her savings. She credits much of this early success to a local business mentor who had been running her own design studio for over twenty years and who offered Maria advice every fortnight, free of charge.
Three years on, Maria now employs two part-time assistants and has turned down several offers to return to full-time employment. She admits that the security of a regular paycheck still appeals to her sometimes, particularly during quiet months when new projects are scarce. Even so, she insists that the freedom to choose her own clients and set her own working hours has made the early struggle worthwhile. 'I'm not getting rich,' she laughs, 'but I finally feel like my work is mine.'
✏️ Questions
- Why did Maria decide to leave her job at the advertising agency?
- a) She felt her creative skills were not being properly used
- b) She was offered a much better-paid position elsewhere
- c) The agency was planning to close down her department
- d) She wanted to move to a different city
- What problem did Maria face during the first few months of freelancing?
- a) Her savings ran out faster than she had planned
- b) She could not find any clients at all
- c) Her assistants left to work for competitors
- d) Her mentor stopped giving her advice
- What does the word 'scarce' mean in the final paragraph?
- a) Not easily available
- b) Extremely profitable
- c) Poorly organised
- d) Very demanding
- How did Maria's business mentor help her?
- a) By giving her free advice on a regular basis
- b) By lending her money to cover her expenses
- c) By referring all of her own clients to Maria
- d) By offering her a part-time job at her studio
- What can we infer about Maria's feelings toward her decision to go freelance?
- a) She believes the difficulties were worth the independence she gained
- b) She deeply regrets leaving her stable job at the agency
- c) She feels she made the decision without thinking it through
- d) She plans to return to full-time employment very soon
- What is the main idea of the passage?
- a) A freelancer's journey from early struggles to a rewarding independent career
- b) A guide explaining how to start a graphic design business
- c) A warning about the financial risks of leaving a stable job
- d) A comparison between agency work and freelance work in design
- By the time she finally got the promotion, she ___ at the company for over eight years.
- a) worked
- b) had worked
- c) has worked
- d) was working
- If I ___ (know) about the job opening earlier, I would have applied for it immediately.
- The management team are planning to announce the new strategy at tomorrow's meeting, but they hasn't confirmed the time yet.
- Someone stole my laptop from the office last night. (Rewrite in the passive voice)
- My colleague said that she ___ the report by Friday, so we don't need to worry about the deadline.
- a) will finish
- b) finishes
- c) would finish
- d) finished
- I wish I ___ (negotiate) a higher salary when I accepted this job two years ago.