At the age of 19 Roland Philipps made his first visit to East London and put himself at the disposal of the Charity Organization Society, doing much work for them, besides taking an active interest in parochial affairs. He was a member of the union, and in its debates developed the gift of fluent speech that he had inherited from his forebears. It was a while he was at Oxford that he paid his first visit to the London East slums, and so greatly was he impressed by the need of social workers there, that during his last year at Oxford he spent most of his vacations at the University Settlement House at Bethnal Green.

Since a small boy Mr. Philipps had always thrown himself into any work connected with children or with old people, and his first public speech at the age of 15 was made at a school treat given at Letterston in North Pembrokeshire.

At the age of 18 he went to New College, Oxford, and shortly afterwards put himself at the service of the Oxford branch of the Charity Organisation Society, and did much work for them for two years. He also took an active interest in Oxford parochial affairs, and sang comic songs at numerous parochial concerts.

After living Oxford in July 1911 with a B.A. degree, having studied History and Law, Mr. Philipps went to Liverpool for six months and in the office of the Pacific Steam Navigation Company learned the rudiments of shipping. All his evenings while in Liverpool were devoted to philanthropic work of different kinds, and a great deal of this time was given up to helping the work at the various missions for seamen and casual men, who formed such a large portion of Liverpool's poorer population.

Mr. Philipps also did much work in Liverpool for the Boy Scouts, and in March addressed a large scout meeting at Runcorn

In April 1912 he came to London to work for a short time in the Union-Castle Nail Steamship Company's office, and at once decided to live as long as he was free to do so in the midst of slumdom in Bethnal Green.

In July, Mr. Philipps was appointed Assistant Commissioner of Boy Scouts to Lord Glanusk for the Principality of Wales, and was shortly afterwards also appointed as Deputy Commissioner for East London in May 1913, the idea being that he should use his powers of enthusiasm to help the movement in those places with which his name was specially associated.