Philip Jones

Philip Jones (Phil) From total disinterest in his future as a schoolboy in the 1970s to an intense 22-year military career followed by a 15-year stint as a consultant for safety and security in hostile locations, Phil Jones tells of his experience working for some of the largest humanitarian organisations in the world, becoming the first full time Global Safety and Security Adviser for Save the Children UK, then as a self-employed consultant working in some of the most hostile locations on the planet.

Phil grew up on the district border of West Derby and Norris Green. The son of two factory working parents, he had two older sisters and one younger brother.

Phil attended primary school at Broad Square County Primary School and progressed on to West Derby Comprehensive school for Boys.

Phil disliked school and had a slight learning disability concerning anything numeric, he had trouble identifying number sequences if longer than three digits and failed to grasp the basics of mathematical problems, (Dyscalculia or Number Dyslexia), much to the annoyance of one math teacher who would make him stand on his chair in every lesson while he threw mathematical questions at him which of course he could not answer. This, much to the amusement of the teacher and the rest of the class, made Phil a laughing stock, the later consequences being that Phil started to skip maths class altogether.

While doing okay in other lessons (English, the sciences and art) Phil became a rebel and started missing whole days from school, not just the odd maths lesson. Phil left school not knowing or caring about his final exam results. After a brief dalliance with the world of apprentice joinery, he joined the British Army, (His father said he wouldn’t last six weeks… 22 years later he left!)

After leaving the military, Phil moved to Lincolnshire and dabbled in a few projects while looking for his first civilian job, he eventually fell into humanitarian work, delivering International Aid and becoming Save the Children UK’s first Global Safety & Security Adviser before moving on to become an independent consultant adviser. That’s where the book begins!