Gary Williams

Job title:

Journal Editor of ‘Physics Education’ and National Coordinator of the Institute of Physics Teacher Network.

What degree did you study?

Physics and Computing with the Open University.

What are your main duties of work?

As Editor I look at articles that physics teachers have written and select the best ones to publish. For the Teacher Network I make decisions about how we should support teachers of physics across the British Isles and try and put these plans into action.

What are your favourite aspects of the job?

I like meeting other teachers of physics and sharing ideas. I enjoy the travel aspect, physicists are a well travelled lot. I've been to Spain, Switzerland, Ireland and the US, as well as all over the UK. This year I'll be visiting Canada and Germany. I also enjoy thinking, and it's amazing how many everyday problems you can solve with the thinking skills that studying physics develops in you.

What kind of salary can a graduate expect to earn in this job?

£40,000 per year.

How has your degree helped you?

I couldn't have become a physics teacher without my degree and so this never would have started. I was asked to leave my first university and having failed my A-levels first time round, I couldn't see myself getting in to another university. I got a job as a Lab Technician in a school and did my Open University degree at the same time. I had to work very hard to do both together but it was a way of catching up all the work I hadn't done when I was at school.

Any further information?

I was a pretty awful pupil at school. I feel I've done quite well for myself but I wish I'd tried harder. Who knows how much further I might have gone if I hadn't messed about so much? I have two sons, both of whom want to be physicists when they grow up because they see me having such a good time!