In 2001, he received a diploma in Russian language from the Institute of Linguists, and was duly accepted as an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Linguists. At the beginning of 2003, he left the UK to take up a volunteer role working for a Christian student association in Belgrade, Serbia, where he remained for two years. In 2005, he took up the post of teaching assistant at the University of Montenegro in the Department of English Language and Literature. He also began translating texts from Serbian/Montenegrin into English, including short stories, poetry, and academic papers as well as legal, UN, and government documents.