ENGINEER Tim Ross flies out to Papua New Guinea at the end of this month to teach students motor mechanics.

The 23-year-old, from Eastgate, in County Durham, will fly to the south-west Pacific on January 31, where he will spend two years teaching at the Don Bosco Technical Secondary School.

A former pupil of Barnard Castle School, Tim studied at New College, Durham, before taking an apprenticeship in mechanical and production engineering at S&B Training, in Bristol, where he is presently teaching.

His stay in Papua New Guinea will be funded by the Voluntary Services Overseas charity, and he will hopefully return to his job in Bristol when he gets back to England.

He said: "I am really excited about the trip to Papua New Guinea, and it should be very rewarding to teach pupils about motor mechanics.

"Two years seems like a long time, but I haven't had a chance to get nervous about the trip because I have been so busy and there is still so much to sort out.

"I have always wanted to travel and this is a really good way of fulfilling my ambition and doing something useful and productive at the same time."