James was born and raised inKent,England, where he attendedGravesendGrammar Schoolfor Boys. After his family relocated to theMidlands, James initially decided to pursue a career in Law atJohnMooresUniversity,Liverpool. However, during the course, he realised that his heart was no longer in it, and decided to revert to his initial love - literature.

In order to further pursue this interest, James sought work as an editorial assistant inLondon. It was here that he learned how to edit concisely and produce timely articles to tight deadlines; a practice that would prove useful later on in his life.

Although James found his work in publishing stimulating, it was not, like many writing jobs, financially rewarding. In order to earn some extra money to fund a second stint at university, James took a job as an estate agent in Hampstead, one of the wealthiest suburbs ofLondon. He surprised himself with his success in this role, and within three years had earned enough money to support his plans.

Now in his thirties, James entered the English degree program at De Montfort University, Leicester. After a hugely enjoyable three years, he graduated with first class honours and the Best Student of the Year Award. Flushed with this success, he went on to pursue a master’s degree in Modern Literature and Creative Writing at theUniversityofLeicester.

James had always been interested in teaching, and it was in his blood as his both his mother and grandfather were teachers, so he decided to test whether he could make it as a teacher by accepting a job inSouth Koreaas a middle school teacher. He stayed at his first school for two years before moving on to teach at a women’s university inSeoul. In between this time, he took the CELTA teaching certificate and tutored IELTS to Korean students seeking to study overseas.

Despite enjoying his time in Korea immensely, James decided to see how he would fare in a different country and culture, and, after visiting on holiday, decided that China was to be that place. James hopes to improve and continue learning as a teacher, while inspiring young people through his teaching.