Wendy Tardioli interviewed Alan Green over the internet

Alan Green has travelled 8,000 miles from Patagonia in Argentina to work at the Glamorgan Arms in Pontlliw.

Publicans Wendy and Alvaro Tardioli said they had tried for months to recruit a waiter locally.

Eventually they decided to advertise in Patagonia where descendants of settlers from Wales still speak Welsh.

Mr Green, 21, whose first language is Spanish, jumped at the chance of visiting and working in Wales.

He spent three days travelling by bus and plane from his home town of Trefelin to reach Swansea.

I'm very lucky. Not everyone in Argentina has this chance to go around the world. Alan Green

Mrs Tardioli, a Welsh speaker herself, said: "Fifty percent of the customers that come here are Welsh-speaking and they like to be spoken to in Welsh.

"We could not get a waiter full stop - people just don't want to do the job.

"I went to Patagonia last year - I had always wanted to go and visit the Welsh community there.

"After I came back I thought gosh, why am I bothering to look locally when some of these people would love to come here?

"They spoke perfect Welsh, better than I do.

"He was interviewed over the internet and has now come over.

"I've got loads of other people wanting to come."

Noson llawen

Mrs Tardioli said she employs students from the local comprehensive school during the summer, but finding staff during term-time is a headache.

Mr Green said one day he hopes to open his own restaurant in Patagonia, so was delighted to have the chance to gain experience.

"All my family are Welsh-speaking," he said.

"I have come across for one year - I'm very lucky.

"Not everyone in Argentina has this chance to go around the world, practice languages and find out how other people live."

On Monday, the pub is hosting a "noson llawen" (an evening of Welsh entertainment), to raise money for a new Welsh school in Patagonia.