Sam has worked as a teacher (of English, Music, and Drama) a mentor (for student teachers and junior research associates) a flute teacher, an ensemble director, a choir leader and a doctoral tutor. She has taught children, young people and adults in all key stages from KS1 up to and including undergraduate level. She is especially experienced in working with extremely vulnerable groups of people. During the eight years that she taught English for EOTAS (Education Other Than At School) she taught children with a wide variety of complex needs including severe depression, ADHD, mutism, eating disorders, and autism. She has also worked with looked after and refugee children. As such, she is extremely experienced at working with vulnerable people and their families in highly sensitive situations and has a good knowledge of safeguarding procedures.