After graduating Chris worked for ICI Agrochemicals as a Metabolism Chemist before training as a secondary science teacher at Southampton University. Chris developed a passion for education through 12 years teaching science at secondary schools in Hampshire and Poole. During this time he gained experience of school leadership as a Head of Department and as an Assisstant Headteacher. From 2004 he worked with a team involved in setting up a consortium of schools to offer School Centred Initial Teacher Training and was responsible for the design and teaching of the partnership's Secondary Science PGCE course.