Hi! I'm Gerry O'Hagan. That's me at work as a teacher of Economics and Business Studies. In my free time I scuba dive.

A little bit about me.

I'm a 39 year old Scot, born in Glasgow. Now I live in Jersey in the Channel Islands just off the French coast. How I came to be here is a long story.

But don't worry, I'll shorten it a bit.

When I was 10 years old I decided I wanted to become a Roman Catholic priest, so I went away to Seminary in Aberdeen. It took them 5 years to realise that I didn't have a vocation and invite me to leave.

From Seminary I went to Nautical College, in Glasgow, to train as a Radio Officer in the Merchant Navy. I enjoyed the course but couldn't settle. After a year, I left to become an instrument technician, passing through barman on the way.

It was while working as a barman that I met my wife. I was married at 18, a Dad by 19. Three kids, and almost 15 years, later we got divorced.
In the meantime I'd gotten a job repairing and servicing equipment at

Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) in Cheltenham. At the time this was a very secret intelligence gathering organisation. As you'll see it isn't a secret any longer. In 1984 the Tory Government decided to outlaw trade unions at GCHQ and we began a campaign which lasted 13

years. Along with the other 12 remaining trade union members, I was sacked in 1988.  This didn't end our campaign though. Supported by the TUC in Britain and friends from around the world, we won a couple of years ago when the new Labour Government restored our rights.

The "Refuseniks" return, victorious,  to GCHQ 1997

After I was sacked, I returned to full-time education, taking a 2 year Diploma in Labour Studies at Ruskin College in Oxford.

  From Ruskin I went on to Girton College, Cambridge, to read Economics, getting my degree in 1994.

Having survived the requisite number of years after Matriculation, and having paid the nominal fee,  I now have my MA (Cantab).

A year after I graduated, I returned to education, to the University of Greenwich, where I trained as a teacher and got my PGCE. See "work"  for what happened next……