Fortunately (for me!) Coventry Technical College was looking for someone to teach instrumentation at the same time as I was looking for a job in teaching. Equally fortunately, the Principal was a former student of one of my referees! As a result I got the job (as a Lecturer Grade II) deceptively easily. I only discovered how easily from the reaction of my new colleagues (to my apparent youth) when I took up the post.

I quickly discovered a lesson about the public sector with which this was my first contact: money for anything was (and, no doubt, still is) in very short supply. Industrial norms for spending were astronomical by comparison, so the chances of developing significant levels of instrumentation seemed remote. The accepted solution seemed to be to scrounge from industry, so education would be lagging behind rather than leading the process. This did not augur well.

Electronics, basic electrical engineering and even servo mechanisms were the stock in trade of the department and of my work within it.

After two terms and a long holiday I decided teaching wasn't for me, so I handed in my notice and quit at Christmas intending to return to industry. I had done a lot of the hard work, because the first year is busy with lecture preparation. Thereafter it tends to be confined to updating notes and preparing new courses. So just as easier times lay ahead I was off! A good middle way seemed to be to go into training.