6 years experience in unscripted television before my teaching career, and currently tutoring children on film sets and working as a supporting artist in Film/TV.
Before CofE ministry, I had my own business, Open Projects Furniture, building bespoke solid-wood items in Kidderminster. This was an offshoot of an arts/crafts cooperative, Open Projects, that I co-founded in Liverpool, which included Open Design, Open Print and Open Productions. After early retirement from ministry, I managed Blagovest, a Russian Choir, co-founded the Anglican Dept of the global Catholic Redemptorist Publications, as an Associate Writer. I was appointed Deputy Editor of Literary Magic, an online magazine published from New York, and I wrote The Legend of Aranrhod, which won a national award for the Best Marketed Self-published Novel in 2007. During my ministry I wrote the lyrics for a trilogy of biblical musicals , Rock On Simon Peter, The Damascus Roadshow, and Saul – tour venues included churches, schools, a theatre and a prison. Finally, full Disclosure: firstly, I abandoned my PhD and an academic career, initially corrupted by reading Dr Zhivago on a research trip to Paris in springtime, but ultimately in order to translate, produce and tour a French miracle play around five cathedrals of medieval Mercia; secondly, I disgraced myself as Sec of the Uni Squash Team when I discovered girls. I hope by now I’m forgiven on both counts.
I was in education for 22 years and was a Headmaster for the last 4; the move to Venture Capital is a relatively recent one. I would be very happy to advise anyone on a career in education.
Although I studied French at Exeter, and followed that up with an advanced diploma in Special Needs and then a Masters in Education with the Open University. I have had a varied career initially in teaching in London at secondary level and with the Open University, and then teaching Media and Communication Studies at a Further Education college in Devon. Because we were a small organisation, I was also responsible for a lot of the marketing of the college. I concurrently studied for a diploma in PR with the Chartered Institue of Public Relations. You might say I discovered what I was good at and loved to do in my fifties! When the college was merged with a larger entity I became a sole practitioner for a number of years advising small business on the PR needs. I actually ended my career teaching marketing at INTO at Exeter University. For the last ten years I have been an active mentor for students from a wide range of backgrounds with an interest in working in the Advertising, Marketing or PR worlds.
I am happy to talk to anyone interested in these areas, but I am also very happy to discuss working in any post primary educational setting.