The student is the youngest son of a British couple who now live in California. He is intelligent, polite, and measured with a warm demeanour and an engaging sense of humour. He is a delight to teach. He attends a good private school in Santa Barbara where is he is popular among his peers and earned good grades. Last year, he studied aboard the family’s yacht for six months with a private Tutor. Although he misses his friends at school while at sea, he greatly enjoys working with a Tutor.

His favourite subjects are quite definitely the Humanities, especially History. He also enjoys literature and often chooses to read a book for pleasure and relaxation. Mathematics is clearly the boy’s least favourite subject; however, he has shown much greater interest after working with one of our Tutors last year. He enjoys Science, particularly Biology and Physics. His favourite teachers are fair and behave in a way that deserves their students’ respect. He does not mind strictness as long as it is delivered in an even-handed manner with clear purpose and with good humour.

He is an active boy who enjoys all sports and games, especially soccer and horse riding. Although not a fast swimmer, he enjoys being around water and this naturally includes all types of boats as well snorkelling, jet-skis, and fishing. He is keen to try his hand at anything new and is looking forward to the whole adventure. The ideal Tutor will also enjoy a variety of sports and be willing to join in with him and the family.

Although there is no question that being aboard a yacht for periods of the school year offers unparalleled educational opportunities compared with classroom learning it is essential that he stay on a par with his peers. It is also important that the voyage be a success on all levels, not only academic but also in terms of making the best use of the educational freedom offered by such an adventure.

Having said that, it is important that the Tutor establish a routine as far as possible, and it will be important that a formal timetable be used throughout the assignment. Obviously there will need to be flexibility too, and the boy would like to feel that he has a choice of what is studied throughout the day or week, but this should all be managed within a reliable and secure structure. A well-equipped, bright and spacious room has been set aside aboard ship for use as the schoolroom during the working day.

The Tutor should not feel confined to the style of learning provided in school, and instead will be free to combine subjects or to interweave the learning objectives into the environmental opportunities to expand the curriculum in appropriate directions. Likewise, evidence of mastery of material should not be limited to tests and quizzes, but extended to presentations or perhaps even performances incorporating other members of the family or crew! In addition to the schoolwork, the Tutor will be involved in planning educationally rich activities and land-based excursions, sometimes for the whole family.

The school is supportive of the family’s plans and has agreed to make all the materials available to the student and his Tutor through Moodle (an online academic communication system), and the yacht is equipped with suitable Internet equipment to facilitate this contact. The subjects being studied are the normal range of subjects at the student’s grade level in California. He took French last year, but would like to work more on his Spanish during the voyage as well as to start Latin. The ideal Tutor will therefore be able to speak reasonable Spanish and French.

During the voyage, the Tutor will typically work 6 hours a day with the student. School will be from 8.30am until 2.30pm with a half hour lunch break which the Tutor should expect to take with the boy. This will leave the afternoons free for activities. It is important that the boy receives some homework, but this should rarely be onerous. The Tutor should also expect that the student might have questions for the Tutor outside school hours.

In addition, the Tutor should expect to assist the crew under the guidance of the highly experienced Captain. Such crew work will not be menial, and may involve helping during docking procedures, learning about navigation and watch procedures and other activities essential to the smooth running of a large boat. Given the team nature of the work, it would be helpful if the Tutor were willing to get involved in all aspects of the crew work including, for example, helping the chef.

Preparation time will be in addition to these hours.

The Tutor will be entitled to a pro rata standard minimum of nine weeks paid vacation per annum. He or she will also be entitled to an average of two consecutive days off per week (the ‘weekend’), but the Tutor should not expect such time to always coincide with time in port, nor to follow a regular pattern or be during normal weekends. Any vacation entitlement or ‘weekend’ days untaken at the end of the contract term will be compensated by payment in lieu.

There will be a one-month probationary period.

In California, the Tutor will generally be responsible for his or her own meals.

During the voyage, the family will provide full board accommodation throughout the voyage. During shore time, while the Tutor is off, he or she will be responsible for his or her own meals, travel, or accommodation should he or she decide not to stay aboard.

Tutors International will help the Tutor with any visa requirements for destinations where these are required. The Client will reimburse the Company or the Tutor for any costs associated with the procurement of such visas.

Travel, and all expenses this incurs for the Tutor, will be met by the family on all journeys where tutoring takes place.

At the Client’s ranch in California the Tutor will be provided with furnished accommodation with Internet. This accommodation will be suitable for the Tutor and perhaps occasional visitors, but is not suitable for the Tutor’s spouse or partner, and nor will it be available when the family are not resident at the ranch. The Tutor will be provided with a car for his or her local, personal, use and as per the conditions set out in Terms.

During the voyage, accommodation will either be a shared berth in the crew quarters near the bow, or in a guest room near the family’s quarters.

It is essential the Tutor is comfortable on a boat and at sea. It is also essential that the Tutor is fit and healthy, easy going, and comfortable living at close quarters with relative strangers for extended periods. The Tutor must be a non-smoker.

The Tutor will also need be highly tactful in this role which in part places them among the crew and under the direction of the Captain and part as Tutor, working mainly in the family’s private areas of the yacht, and in charge of his or her own domain.