A familiar face at a Monmouth coffee shop is heading off for a new life in Africa.

Vicky Smith has worked at Costa Coffee in Monnow Street for the past six years, the last five as manager, but will soon be teaching at a school in Nigeria.

Last Thursday (19th July) was Vicky's last at Costa and there were a few emotional goodbyes from staff and customers.

Vicky trained as a teacher and worked at Berry Hill Primary School before she joined Costa.

Although she liked the school and loved working with children, she found she did not agree with the national curriculum and took her career in a different direction.

"I don't think I was ready to teach in a way, and Costa was just opening in Monmouth so I joined the team and ended up never leaving," said Vicky.

"It is totally different to teaching and I am sad to go because you build up relationships with people – customers, staff – but I am older, wiser and this is the right time to go back to teaching."

When Sue Eriksson, formerly of Trellech School and the current headteacher of St Saviour's School in Ikoyi, Lagos, popped in for coffee and said she was looking for teachers, it was Vicky's chance.

"It was very unexpected. Sue was one of my regulars before she went to Nigeria and she came back in the Easter holidays," said Vicky.

"I sent her my CV and didn't expect a lot, but she got me to set up Skype so she could interview me and offered me the job.

"I am excited. It is 3,000 miles away and a completely different lifestyle, a new culture, but I am looking for a challenge."

Vicky became branch manager about a year after joining Costa and is proud to have helped so many colleagues move on to manage other branches.

She oversaw a refit of the shop last year and recently saw one of her baristas win an award for his coffee-making skills.

Beacon readers may remember Vicky appearing on TV quiz show Countdown three years ago, helping to raise £10,000 for a Costa Coffee project to build a new school in Ethiopia.

At St Saviour's School, where English is the main language, Vicky will be teaching seven and eight-year-olds using the International Primary Curriculum.

For the full story, see this week's Beacon (25th July).