Iain Dale - Education and Career

Education and Career

Dale was educated at Ashdon County Primary School, Saffron Walden County High School, and obtained a 2(i) BA Honours degree in German, Linguistics, and Teaching English as a Foreign Language from the University of East Anglia in 1985. Prior to going to university he spent his gap year as a nursing assistant at the Werner Wicker Klinik in West Germany. During his degree course he spent a year teaching English at the Gymnasium Besigheim.

He was Research Assistant to the Conservative MP Patrick Thompson, 1985–87, Public Affairs Manager for the British Ports Federation 1987–89, Financial Journalist with Lloyd's List 1989–90, and then Deputy Managing Director of The Waterfront Partnership & Managing Director of The Waterfront Conference Company 1990–96.

In 1997, he opened Politico's Bookstore and Coffee House in Westminster, selling a mix of political books, memorabilia and novelty items. The shop spawned sister publishing and web design businesses using the Politico's brand. He founded Politico's Publishing in 1998, and sold it in 2003 to Methuen Publishing. In 2004, Dale announced the closure of the walk-in book shop and relocated the business to Kent as a mail-order operation. Later that year the Westminster premises re-opened as the Westminster Bookshop under the ownership of Methuen. In 2006, Dale sold the Politico's Bookstore business to Harriman House. In 2012 Dale relaunched Politico's online as part of the Biteback Publishing business.