Andrew Williams

application to University of Cambridge
for teaching / pgce


Wanting to fulfil a lifetime ambition to teach history, before I become it

History graduate, history buff seeking second life in education

motivation

  • Passion for History - degree, A level and O level, strong knowledge of most periods, avid reader, historic place visitor, podcast subscriber

  • Passion to Teach - I have always found fulfilment developing potential, acquiring knowledge and skills and helping others to do so too

  • Genetic - my Dad was a history teacher

  • Fulfilled Business Ambitions - much of my career has been spent working with students in academic environments; I have built successful businesses. Those were for me. Now I would like to do something more altruistic

  • Skills That Translate to Teaching  - subject mastery, learning facilitation, communicating, listening and inspiring

Education / Early career

  • Professional

    • Trained as chartered accountant at Big Six firm (Arthur Andersen)

    • Chartered Accountancy - Conversion Course and PE1

  • University

    • University of Cambridge - Post Grad course “Shakespeare in History”

    • University of Leeds - BA Hons International History and Politics - Upper Second

  • Secondary

    • 2x S levels - History and Economics - distinctions

    • 3x A levels - History, Economics - at grade A; Maths

    • 1x AO level - General Studies - grade A

    • 9x O levels - Maths, English Lang, English Lit, Chemistry and History - at grade A; Physics, French, Art, Statistics

Business Career in Venture Capital
Founder and CEO of businesses that help young people

advising young people

OxbridgeGroup Ltd (1999 - 2011)

Careers Advisory and Recruitment based in London and Oxbridge www.oxbridge-group.com

  • Aimed at current and former Oxbridge students; campus marketing

  • 20 to 80 staff; £1m - £5m annual revenue; reverse takeover of larger firm in dot-com boom; sought IPO at £40m valuation

  • Clients included Goldman Sachs, Blackstone, McKinsey and Tesco; ran numerous outsourced graduate recruitment programmes for investment banks, asset managers etc

The Gateway Online Ltd (2007 - 2010)

Student newspaper and publishing group based in London; www.wiki.com

  • Produced fortnightly newspaper featuring careers resources and social networking website; presenting careers advertising in the context of relevant theory and news stories

  • Aimed at 15 Russell Group universities; 50,000 copies distributed each month

  • Upto £1m annual revenue; 10 staff

accommodating young people

Rainbow Capital property Ltd (1995 - 2022)

Residential landlord and builder based in London
www.rainbowcapital.co.uk

  • Owned 24 investment properties in London accommodating 125 young professional tenants and generating £1.2m of annual income; six staff

  • Managed 100 building developments

  • 2022 sold business for £22m

Rainbow Property (2023 - )

Building business based in London
www.rainbowproperty.co.uk

  • Early stage

  • Staffing now, creating website, marketing materials, client base and business plan

Oxbridgelife Ltd (2003 - 2005 - )

Social networking platform for current students and former alumni of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge;

  • Forerunner of Facebook, very similar apart from the £2bn valuation

  • £1m of personal investment

  • No revenue model; business did not succeed

 

Interests

  • History

    • National Trust, English Heritage, Historic Royal Palaces, battlefield visits, museums, history podcasts, literary festivals, talks and events, history-orientated world travel

  • Music and Pastimes

    • Play piano and guitar

    • Love chess, cryptic crosswords and pub quizzes

  • Sport

    • Playing - soccer, cricket, tennis and running (London Marathon 3 hours 48 minutes)

    • Watching - season ticket holder at Liverpool FC, often to be found in the stands at England test cricket matches and ATP tennis tournaments

    • Coaching - teach football to developing adults’ previously coached in my old school

recent Essays on History / academic and personal study

“Assess the Significance of Martin Luther King”

“How Effective was the Policy of Containment in Korea between 1950 and 1953?”

“Charles 1st: Why Did He Fail?”

Academic Study at Degree level (1988 - 1991)

  • Origins of WW2

  • European History (1815 - 1945)

  • British History (1815 - present day)

  • US Foreign Policy and the Cold War (1945 - present day)

  • Russia (1815 - present day)

Self-Study / Recent Reading

  • WW2

  • Wars of the Roses (1377 - 1485)

  • Cambridge Spies (1930s - 1960s)

  • Vietnam War (1954 - 75)

  • The Space Race (1961 - 72)

Teaching Skills

  • Life Experience

    • 53 years studying, working, travelling, succeeding often and failing sometimes

  • Passion for History

    • Academic and social

  • Authoritative

    • Managed hundreds of people, recruiting, training and leading; warm relationships

  • Speaking, Explaining and Discovering

    • Good communicator and listener

  • Ambitious

    • Love to see young people achieve their potential