Do you feel that your work has any direct connection with the subject area of your PhD? 

Um yes obviously because the PhD was in history and I'm teaching history, it's a real shame they're just changing the syllabuses for A-level. A level's the most where I've used my PhD stuff but the centaury I did my PhD in the new syllabus have just decided to cut out that entire centaury which I'm absolutely devastated about. But more generally the historical skills I learnt from the PhD are hugely valuable in terms of teaching, especially in terms of A-level.

And in any other ways can you see that there is continuity between your PhD and your current job?

I was actually very organised and very efficient, I think, during my PhD and worked quite hard on it and know some of my friends didn't and literally worked an hour a day, whereas I got myself into a very strong work ethic and that certainly helped because I'm quite organised, from the first churn out reports etc. now at schools. Yeah, it has helped in that sense but I can see how it mightn't, because if you're not very well motivated during your PhD it's almost a disaster after that, some of my friends have done that, not been motivated and then gone into jobs and found it quite a wake-up call I think.