 Having been ordained as an Anglican priest, he returned to Australia as rector of Christchurch, Newcastle and Dean of the diocese.After serving as headmaster and chaplain of The Armidale School, New South Wales from 1919 to 1926, he was then headmaster and chaplain of King's College, Auckland from 1926 to 1935.Archdall then returned to Britain as chaplain and director of religious studies at Wellington College, Berkshire before succeeding Maurice Jones as Principal of St David's College (as Lampeter University was then called).