Derek Bage was a student of the South Shields High School, from 1950 to 1953. He then went on to the Marine & Technical College for five years from 1953 to 1958. He left at 21 and started at Sunderland Technical College in October, 1958 - at the end of his three years there, he had attained his BSc in Engineering (Maths, Physics and Mechanics). And from September 1961, he started a 2-year part-time course at Durham Technical College to get his City & Guilds Technical Teacher's Certificate.

Meanwhile, he took up his first teaching appointment at the South Shields Grammar-Technical School for Boys in January, 1962, where he taught science, mathematics and technical drawing (and, at least according to one report, Religious Instruction).

He left in 1967 to take up the post of Senior Science Master at Chuter Ede School.