And despite dipping his toes in the waters of retirement on three separate occasions, he’s never been able to take the plunge.

“Personally, I couldn’t think of anything worse,” said Mike. “My father had a huge work ethic and I think I’ve always had that as well. I’ve always loved a challenge.”

In 2020, during his final job in education, Mike launched Creative Portal - an online CV and portfolio platform for the creative industries.

The website brings creatives and employers together, helping performers, artists and designers to find jobs in what has long been a competitive industry.

And it now has the backing of the New Anglia Growth Hub, a council-run scheme providing business support across Norfolk and Suffolk.

Mike Cobb-Pernak, 74, founded Creative Portal in 2020, before retiring from teaching for a third time three years later (Image: Lesley van Dijk) Creative thinking is an in-demand skill, with three quarters of employers in the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Survey calling it was a top priority when hiring talent. Mike believes there has never been a better time for a careers platform like Creative Portal.

“It’s the platform for creative conversations and futures,” said Mike, who finally left teaching to run Creative Portal full time in 2023.

“It’s all about how to create your portfolio and put it out there to showcase your work.”

Mike Cobb-Pernak, creative lead of Creative Portal, was a guest speaker at the launch of the Norfolk Growth Plan in January this year (Image: Lesley van Dijk) Creative Portal is now home to more than a thousand active users across the UK, but like most start-ups........

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