The student is an articulate and sophisticated young woman who is well liked by her peers and teachers.  She has a warm and caring demeanour and is very definitely a people person.  She loves animals, has hamsters and a parrot among her pets, and enjoys being outdoors.  She likes to swim, bake, and travel.  Although quite tomboyish at the moment, she is becoming increasingly fashion-conscious.  She enjoys dressing well, wearing make-up, getting her hair and nails done.  By far the most pleasure comes from taking part in and watching the full range of performing arts.  She takes violin, piano and voice lessons, has dance lessons, and is rehearsing at the moment for a dramatic production.  Indeed, she has twice been enrolled in theatre programs.

Her parents are recently divorced and her older siblings are now all away at school, and this has left her a little isolated.  Her mother is very attentive, but is also very busy, and it is hoped that a Tutor can establish a trusting relationship through which she will be able to express her ideas, thoughts and concerns. Having such a relationship with a trusted, caring adult will help her through this less than ideal period in her life.  It is also important that she develop the motivation and confidence to try new activities, or take on new challenges rather than preferring to remain within her comfort zone.  The encouragement from an upbeat and energetic individual, who can be a positive role model as might an older sister or grown-up friend cannot be underestimated in this regard.

In addition to the personal challenges she is coping with, she has recently been assessed with Dyscalculia that has affected her ability to structure her work across a wide range of subjects.  In particular, she is slipping behind in Maths, and this is negatively influencing her progress in Science.  The concomitant effects of not grasping the nature of numbers, time, duration, and sequences that involve time (such as recalling the order of the months) also affect her ability to plan ahead and to organise her thoughts in class, and this is beginning to impact on her self-esteem and confidence outside of school too.

She looks and carries herself with a maturity of manner that belies her age, but is important that the Tutor remember that she is still a rather inexperienced 11-year-old girl who is perhaps still a little over-sensitive.  She is sociable and enjoys the company of friends, but has not yet learned how to forge sound, solid friendships with her peers, and does not yet have a best friend.  She finds it difficult to stand up for herself in the playground and is often the victim of teasing from other children.  In response she is at risk of giving into to peer pressure in order to please others.  This, combined with her mature appearance and rather naïve outlook, means that she still needs considerable guidance from those adults responsible for her care, education and wellbeing.

This position has a wide range of responsibilities covering two main areas: after school homework support and enhancement, and in-school shadowing and extension teaching.

The school role will need to be handled very carefully and diplomatically; she does not wish to appear to be receiving special treatment.  Although her school is bilingual, it does not offer all subjects in both languages. Maths is currently taught in Arabic, the weaker of her languages.  The combination of learning Maths this way, together with her Dyscalculia, is hampering her progress to such an extent that a more structured approach is now needed.  It is likely that one of the Tutor’s responsibilities will be to teach her Maths in English within the school in a separate room while her class have their lesson in Arabic.  It is possible that other children in the school who learn the same way may also join this class with the Tutor, to a maximum of four students.  It is possible that she will be taken out of other classes in which her specific learning difference has significant impact, such as Design Technology, and that these classes can also be used to help her catch up on her studies.  In addition to taking her out of some her classes in school hours, the Tutor should expect to be asked by some of the girl’s teachers to join the class in a support role.  In these situations the Tutor will be there to help all the children in the class who require extra help, but with a particular responsibility for her.  Again, this will require tremendous tact and care by the Tutor so that she is not made to feel different in front of her peers, and so that the class teacher does not feel undermined or threatened by the presence of her Tutor.

It is not known at present how many hours a week the Tutor might be expected to work in the school, but the school will make a workroom available only to the Tutor and the student.  When in school and not teaching her, the Tutor can use this room and the school’s facilities to do preparation as required.

She finishes school at 3.30pm. When she gets home she has a quick snack, before starting her homework.  The Tutor should plan to arrive at her home by 4.30pm to work with her to make sure that her homework is complete and that all tests and presentations are fully prepared. She can be unreliable when recording her homework, and so one of the Tutor’s responsibilities will be to liaise closely with her teachers to make sure that the homework requirements are clear. 

Not only should the Tutor find out what the homework is each night, but she should also find out what she will be studying in the near future, and use this to prepare her in advance so that she more easily understands the work that is covered in class.

There will be dedicated study room in the Client’s home that Tutor will be responsible for ensuring remains organised and properly resourced.  The Tutor should expect Fridays and Saturdays off each week, but should remain flexible in this regard in case family plans call for an occasional adjustment.

The post carries with an opportunity to extend the teaching beyond the classroom, through involvement in local social projects and through visits to nearby and more distant locations of interest that fit into the curriculum or enhancement program. Any such educational travel will need to be planned carefully in advance and approved with the Client.

The ideal Tutor will know how to behave appropriately in a wide range of social circumstances from formal dinners to more relaxed social occasions.  They will need to be well spoken, broadly educated, well travelled and erudite with first language English, spoken with Received Pronunciation.

The student is a highly concrete learner and responds best when expectations and instructions are clear and unambiguous.  When she is unclear about an instruction she needs frequent repetition and clarification before she has the confidence to begin the task.  This means that her Tutor will need to be both extremely well organised and untiringly patient throughout all aspects of the role.  The family’s life can be quite chaotic at times, with last minute changes, but it is hoped that the addition of a Tutor will help to maintain are more regimented and structured pattern for the student.

The student loves music, theatre and dance, and relates very well to pictures and especially people.  The role would be ideally suited for an inventive and imaginative Tutor who can create images through song, or by reference to a human personality in those areas of study where she struggles — a cross between Mary Poppins and Maria von Trapp.  But it is equally important that the Tutor has a youthful and trendy outlook, someone who is in touch with current fashions and aware of the challenges and risks facing young people today.

This is a full time position.  The tutor must be able to respond flexibly to the client’s requirements in terms of availability and working time. The Tutor should expect to be working with her for at least 35 hours per week, and to do their preparation during the day as needed.  Evenings will normally be free unless there is a performance or exhibit that the Tutor would like to take her to see.  Weekends — Thursday evening, all of Friday, and Saturday mornings — will normally be off, and the Tutor will be entitled to a minimum of 9 weeks paid vacation per annum at times convenient to the Client.

Normally when the Client is away, she stays with her father.  If the Client is only away overnight it is less disruptive for the girl to stay at home.  On these occasions the Tutor will stay in the family’s guest room overnight in loco parentis.  Should the number of these occasions exceed 12 per annum the Tutor will be entitled to additional paid leave or payment in lieu in compensation.

The Tutor may be invited to travel with the family several times a year, both within Jordan and overseas. At these times the Client will cover all expenses for the Tutor.

Fully furnished and pleasant accommodation with all modern conveniences including high speed Internet will be arranged and provided by the Client.  There is a choice of accommodation available, which the successful candidate can select at a later date.  All accommodation is suitable for a single person or a married couple.

The Client will also make arrangements for a car, or for a car and driver, for the personal use of the Tutor.  The Tutor will be responsible for the costs arising from their own personal use, and for any damage they cause and which is not covered by insurance.

A non-smoker who leads a healthy lifestyle, including taking regular exercise area is preferred. Complete fluency in English, and with Received Pronunciation, is a pre-requisite.

Meals occurring during teaching times will be taken with the family.

The Tutor needs to be comfortable around animals.

This position is initially for 18 months, with a view to readying the student for entry to UK boarding school at 13+ should she wish to.  If she does not go to boarding school, the contract will be renewable yearly.