After his undergraduate degree, Sam taught English at a university in France for one year, before qualifying as a teacher of English and working at an inner-city secondary school in England for 8 years. In this time, he completed an MA in creative writing and education and began his PhD, exploring the possibilities for Interactive Fiction in the secondary school English classroom. His PhD research was supported by a bursary from the Department of Educational Studies,
Goldsmiths, University of London. Sam has recently submitted his PhD thesis, and he joined Canterbury Christ Church University as a Senior Lecturer in Teacher Education in 2024.