A PRIMARY school teacher has swapped the classroom for coding - and landed his dream job in Bolton.

Craig Jones had been a teacher for seven years when he decided to follow his passion for computing as a career.

And now his ambition and industry has resulted in him becoming a front-end developer for AO.com

The 32-year-old had once spent his spare time building small single-page websites for family, friends and associates.

So when he took the plunge and opted to retain, he set himself a challenge of learning the coding languages HTML and CSS within 12 months. so he could apply for entry level positions in the industry.

While still teaching he also used online platforms to build up his specialist knowledge and, after only three months, saw a junior front end developer’s post was going at AO.

He later impressed the IT recruitment team with his commitment, enthusiasm and skills and was eventually taken on.

Craig said: “I started my new career in the tech industry just six months after learning to code for the first time.

“I really didn’t think I’d secure a job that quickly but I’m really grateful that AO was able to see my potential.

“Taking the risk and leaving my teaching career has certainly paid off. Through regular hack days, show and tell sessions and development days there’s always new opportunities to learn from others, so my progression has rocketed since joining the business.

“I feel very lucky to have the support of a great team to guide me through my new career.”

Dave Igoe, the company’s head of software development, added: “When recruiting new candidates for our IT team, we don’t focus on the number of years of experience because we invest in their training and development to support progression.

“Instead, we look at candidates’ attitude and willingness to learn.

“Craig impressed us with his enthusiasm for tackling new skills and his knowledge of the tech industry.”