I’m originally from Manchester but have lived all over the north of England. After leaving school I trained to be a Chef in Scarborough Catering College. I worked for five years in a number of hotels and restaurants before deciding on a change of career.

At first, I went travelling round Europe and ended up in Belgium where I studied French and Flemish for a year. I then returned to the UK and went to University in Lancaster and Bradford where I studied International Relations and Development Studies. During this time I spent two months working voluntarily for an NGO in Hanoi.

After finishing my studies I went back to Belgium and worked for Oxfam, the United Nations, the European Parliament and a Belgian NGO group for three years. I started teaching English part-time whilst in Belgium to earn some extra money.

As time went by I really enjoyed teaching English and decided to take it more seriously. I spent some time in France teaching before moving to Barcelona where I worked for two years. After picking up enough Spanish and some Catalan I decided it was time for another change.