Philip was born in Oxford but has not been back there much since. He has a degree in Modern Languages (Russian and French) from the School of Slavonic and Eastern European Studies at the University of London. Before moving to Estonia in 2014, Philip lived for over a decade in St. Petersburg, working as an English teacher, translator, copywriter and occasional journalist. He spends his free time reading, binge-watching American TV shows, and looking after two large, unruly dogs.