PE teacher Brett Bader is calling time on his teaching career for six months, so he can commit his energies to helping local communities in Iraq.

The 30-year-old Territorial Army Lieutenant, from Christchurch, who serves in the Dorchester-based C Company of the Devonshire and Dorset Rifle Volunteers, was headhunted to become a staff officer with a responsibility for agriculture.

This was prompted by his degree in environmental studies and agriculture, which he combines with a rudimentary knowledge of Arabic.

Lt Bader, or 'Sir' to the pupils he teaches as Head of Year at The Grange school in Christchurch, will spend his last day at school on October 15, before collecting his kit and heading out to al-Amara, close to the Iranian border.

He said: "It has all happened very rapidly and I have got no idea what to expect."

He plans to exchange stories with his pupils back home.

He said: "I am going to be sending the kids emails and vice versa because I will want to know what they are up to."

Lt Bader, who will be leaving behind his partner Sarah at their Christchurch home, already has the military life in his veins. He has served in Bosnia and Northern Ireland, after graduating from the Royal Military College.

First published: October 7