NEWLY-qualified teacher Victoria Holman has landed her first job - on the other side of the world.

The 22-year-old from Great Ayton jetted off to Japan at the weekend to spend a year teaching English in a secondary school.

Ms Holman recently completed a joint honours degree in art and English at York St John College.

She will be celebrating her graduation ceremony in the city of Fukuoka, in Japan. Ms Holman applied for the Japan Exchange and Teaching programme last November.

"I am really pleased to have been selected as the programme is quite difficult to get on to," she said.

"I am a bit scared, as despite reading up on the language and customs, I'm still not sure of what to expect.

"However I can't wait to experience Japanese culture first hand."

As Ms Holman will be away for her graduation ceremony, her family will be going out to Fukuoka to visit her. Her fianc, Simon, will also travel to see her while she is working abroad.

"The hardest thing about this trip will be leaving Simon behind, but this is the opportunity of a lifetime and will be an experience I'll never forget," she said.

Ms Holman is hoping to work in journalism in future.

She will write for the JET newsletter while she is away and hopes to send articles into English language newspapers in Japan.