Postscript - Where did it all start?

I was sorting through stuff in a box and found this. I thought it got lost in the move but was very happy to find it.

It's a countdown of the 700 days from August 1st 2007 to the date Mrs N and I  agreed I could leave work - June 30th 2009. It was a long time to wait but I kept that sheet of paper with me wherever I went. It preserved my sanity on many occasions, starting on day 699 with a nightmare call about advertising to DKE from the parking lot at San Francisco airport at the end of our summer holiday in Yosemite.

Here it is for posterity.

Epilogue - Qualified Teacher Status

June 16th 2010.

Today I qualified as a teacher. I was observed teaching and then had a one hour interview with the observer about my portfolio of evidence. He finished by saying he would recommend me for qualified status. That was it. A bit of an anti-climax after everything but I am so relieved.

I am pretty worn out by the relentless observation and feedback so it is nice to get this part done. Now the real work starts.

Day 365 - 365 Day Makeover

365 days since I left Diageo to start my new adventure with a wife, three children and a cat in tow.

365 days since I handed in my Blackberry, my lap top and waved good bye to a career that took me from humble beginnings in an E reg Vauxhall Cavalier, cruising the streets of East London to an office all to myself on 5th Avenue.

My aim was to record my transformation from corporate executive to maths teacher. I have certainly lived the transformation. I am not sure that I have captured it in writing but my personal journey has certainly taken an interesting fork in the road. Who knows where it will ultimately take me? Isn't that the whole point?

Friday April 16th 2010

Day 364 - The Talent Myth

Just read a book called Bounce by Matthew Syed. Its central point is that excellence in sport or indeed any field of endeavour is not a question of inherent talent, but a question of practice, hard work, self belief, mental toughness, support and a little bit of luck.

It makes you think about what is possible rather than what most of us do when we stop (or don't even start) trying - that we can't get better at what we do because we lack talent. I see it every day in the classroom when kids start off saying that they are no good at maths and so set themselves on the path to underachievement. I saw it every day at Diageo when we gave up on a product, campaign or person before we had put any real effort or time into making it work. I include myself in that group as I have never worked that hard at anything.

The suggestion is 10,000 hours or 10 years. It's interesting that my finest career moment in marketing was working on Johnnie Walker from 1999 to 2004, 10 years after I started work. Watch out education, 10 years from now.

My half marathon time has dropped from 1 hour 45 in 2003 to 1 hr 26 this year. 19 minutes improvement, completely down to training. Now I'm thinking, how quick could I run?

Day 363 - Do I Love It?

That's the (literally) six figure question - do I love teaching? The question behind the question is 'was it worth giving up your career, your life, your SALARY for?'.

The answer to that specific question is that I don't know...yet. However, it's the wrong question. The right question is 'do I love my new life?'. The emphatic answer to that question is yes, with bells on it.

The fundamental reason for doing this whole thing was to change the balance of my life so that I could enjoy it more. Making the dramatic break from corporate life gave me back the freedom to choose, a freedom I seem to have lost on a career journey that took me from Brentford to New York in 20 memorable years. The word I have heard most often in those late night, deep conversations with friends and colleagues, is what they can't do because of their job. They can't spend time with their kids, they can't get fit, they can't sit still and contemplate their navel for 20 minutes, they can't do what they really want to do.

I can. The reality is that I could have done it before but did not have the strength of character or energy to take control. I choose to teach, I choose to be at home when Ellen rants and raves, I choose to run fast, I choose to sit in an armchair and do nothing.

I love the freedom to choose. That includes choosing a new career that I have always wanted to try.

Day 362 - Daddy, Are We Poor?

Not that my children are particularly materialistic but they have asked this question on a number of occasions.

Let's examine the facts. We live in a fabulous house in one of the most desirable areas in one of the most desirable towns in England that has outstanding state schools. We have zero debt. In the past 12 months, Ellen has been on school trips to Poland and Germany, Ted has been to the Battlefields, both Ted and Alice have played club football home and away, we have been on a two week holiday to France and there is hot food on the table every night.

I took a 96% pay cut to start a new career in teaching, not including the free booze and boon doggles so there is no question that we have all felt the loss of disposable income. Cutting back has been easy and it's amazing how little you can actually live on if you are careful, thoughtful and have Mrs N running the books. We delineate clearly between living expenses  and 'capital' spend so that we live on what we earn while being able to splash out on the big items using our savings if we need to. I even persuaded Mrs N to let me buy a new bike this year.

On the income side, Mrs N has gone out to work 3 days a week, I am picking up £25 an hour from maths tutoring 2 or 3 times a week, Ellen is baby sitting and Ted has a paper round. We claim everything we can, adding up to a healthy income from tax credits and child benefit. There is something very real and satisfying about doing an hour's work and receiving £25 in cash at the end of it.

In 2027 I am entitled to a Diageo pension worth the same as I earn now, with various other pension pots maturing in subsequent years (subject to the whole thing not melting down in the meantime).

Do we have a significantly altered lifestyle from 2 years ago? Yes. Are we poor? No. Am I happy? Oh Yes. Is this just about me? Absolutely