After reading English at King’s College London, Cathie settled on wanting to teach English as a Foreign Language, but there weren’t many opportunities at that time. 

It was new in those days, it was exciting, but it was difficult to get into it. So, I did a secretarial qualification and went to work for a publisher. But that didn’t suit me at all.” 

Leaving that job, Cathie went to teach English in Rome for three years before returning to the UK and studying at the Institute of Education. The British Council hired her to teach English in Brazil for a few years, at which time Cathie realised that this was the right career path for her. 

I, like many of my colleagues, wanted to travel, and as it went on I found I was good at teaching. I enjoyed it. And I was lucky that it turned into a very productive career.” 

Returning from Brazil, Cathie found herself at a loose end. It was her mother who saw an advertisement for a lecturing position at Ealing Technical College, a predecessor institution to the University of West London. 

Got an interview, got the job, and it was a wonderful place to work in those days. It was the age of Freddie Mercury, and it was also at that point very well known for languages.” 

Ealing Technical College had a strong department filled with talented people who were not only teaching but also writing materials for the rapidly evolving discipline of teaching English as a foreign language. 

I loved it. I had great colleagues that are still friends to this day. It was a time when we could do whatever we wanted, not working to syllabuses but teaching what we wanted to teach. And we were developing specialist courses for exciting groups of people who had come from Vietnam, China and Russia.” 

For nearly twenty years, Cathie stayed at Ealing, seeing the institution change its name twice, and going on two secondments. First to Edinburgh to get her Masters degree, and once to the USA to write a book. 

That was important because it meant that I could get a job at the Institute of Education, even though I didn’t have a PhD. I was beginning to do more academic work, which was a massive requirement for moving into a more academic environment.” 

In 1992, Cathie left Ealing to go to the Institute of Education (IoE), where she trained teachers until 2015. During this time, she earned her PhD, before guiding younger PhD candidates later in her career. 

And I got my dream. I was doing a lot of travelling, and then COVID came along so I couldn’t do as much. But I was happy, I travelled a lot for work giving lectures all over the place. My last one was in Poland, and I spent a lot of time in Scandinavia. I also went to Taiwan and Korea. It’s dried up a bit now, but I am over eighty so that’s no surprise.” 

Even though she left in the 1990s, Cathie has maintained a connection with the work going on at Ealing, remaining in touch with many colleagues and eventually deciding to donate The Cathie Wallace Scholarship, a bursary that provides funds to deserving students in financial need. 

I was lucky with pensions, and I had a bit of spare cash, so why not use it in that sort of way? I wanted to get back to being involved in Ealing. I didn’t feel that the IoE needed much support because they’re part of UCL. 

UWL was a good cause supporting local students. It has the right ethos for me, and I have great memories.” 

For Cathie, the best part of providing a bursary is the chance it offers for her to meet new people and stay in touch with some of her scholarship students. 

People have been very welcoming and kind to me in that role. I’ve met some fabulous people, and I’ve been very impressed with all those young people. They’re bright, and they’re interesting, a million miles away from the old days - but they’re still great students.”