AN employment service worker is back in the North-East after spending time in a Swedish classroom.

Gemma Wealls, 22, has returned from a six-week work placement in the Swedish town of Falun as a classroom assistant, where she has been working with pre-school children aged five to seven.

Gemma was one of 45 young people from England and Scotland given the chance to work or train in Sweden or Italy, by the Prince's Trust's Work Away programme.

Gemma, who works for the Employment Service, at Chester-le-Street JobCentre, said: "I was looking after children in a day care centre, mostly for parents who work.

"I learned basic Swedish while I was there and the teachers translated if there was something I couldn't understand.

"After a while, you pick up what the children want, so the language wasn't really a problem."

"It was a great experience to be able to go and work in Sweden. The experience has certainly made me more independent. I was living in a foreign country without family or friends and fending for myself in student accommodation."

The Prince's Trust and Employment Service funded the cost of accommodation, travel and living expenses for the placement.