Richard was a secondary and independent school teacher for nearly 20 years, his final post being deputy head in a school in Kent. He then taught in a number of universities, finally as Director of Teacher Training at the University of Hull. After that he became Senior Academic Advisor to Kaplan International Colleges.

For the last three years Richard has been an advocate and general problem solver in a teacher trade union, working with one of the Assistant General Secretaries. Richard’s publications are in mathematics education, his once upon a time academic field, and are currently in the law of education. Richard appears regularly as a teacher representative before the Professional Conduct Panels which sit in Coventry, the bodies before which the National College brings teachers it wishes prohibited from the teaching profession.