The focus for the tutoring will be the 15-year-old girl. She attends a local day school and needs help with spelling, reading fluency, and math. She has quite marked dyslexia, with some dyscalculia, and has received a great deal of support in the past following the Orton Gillingham method. Whilst this has been beneficial, progress has been too slow. A fresh set of ideas and techniques are required to identify skills and processes that the girl can adopt to improve the management of her learning differences.

The girl works very hard and gets good grades. She is intelligent, and the gap that has formed between ability and ambition causes frustration. The tutor will need to be sympathetic, easygoing and relaxed, and able to offer a number of strategies to fit the girl’s needs. The girl is a keen horsewoman and the preferred tutor should share this interest. The girl would also like to learn sign language and – though not a requirement – it would be useful if the tutor had this particular skill.

A young man, aged 18
He is an intellectual who is also outgoing, flamboyant and creative. He is somewhat disorganised and this impacts on his focus and his grades at school, as well as other areas of his life. The tutor will work with him to develop better organisation and study skills, developing his independence so that he can manage being at University on his own. The young man also has some dysgraphia issues but types well, and although he was dyslexic when younger this seems to have all but disappeared.

A teenage boy, aged 16
He finds it hard to maintain concentration on subjects in which he is less interested. Sometimes he loses track altogether, and this can have significant repercussions on his understanding of a particular topic at school. With subjects he likes, attention is no problem. His grades are currently not as good as he would like. The tutor will work with him to ensure that material is well understood, and to be a sounding board for work before it reaches school to be graded.

A boy, aged 10
He has some attention issues of unknown origin that have recently become more significant, with the result that he politely withdraws himself from class. It is hoped that the tutor will be able to support study skills in order to help him manage his attention issues before they become a major problem.

A girl, aged 8
She is moderately dyslexic and needs help learning to read, orienting letters, developing spelling, and reviewing her own work. She enjoys reading and learning and is currently receiving some help from a specialist at school.

All five children have a lovely demeanour and are pleasant and sociable. They are polite, well behaved and a pleasure to work with. They are well motivated and keen to take advantage of the educational opportunities available to them.

Interests
With so many children the broader the tutor’s range the better – the post needs a tutor with wide interests, someone who is willing to learn and happy to participate in new activities. These include outdoor activities, horseback riding, winter sports, rock-climbing, cycling, hiking, knitting, music and singing, fashion design, literature and theatre.

Flexibility
The family and their friends make up a large and varying number of people and this can appear a little chaotic. The tutor must be adaptable and be willing to alter his or her planned activities to incorporate these variations.

A couple
The position would suit a couple, as the tutor will be asked to be in sole charge of the children - especially the younger two - when their mother travels on business. A couple is also more suited to the diversity and range of this position than an individual.

Religion
The family are Buddhists and, although the tutor may be of any religious conviction, it is essential that their views be moderate and open-minded if the relationship is to be successful.

Remuneration
The position requires a well-qualified and multi-skilled individual or teaching couple. Therefore to attract applicants with the appropriate skills, experience and willingness to immerse themselves in this role, we are offering remuneration in the range £48,000 to £56,000 per annum.

Accommodation
Furnished accommodation in an apartment nearby will be provided. The tutor will be responsible for organising his or her own board, but meals that occur when working with the children will be provided. The accommodation is suitable for a couple.

Schedule
The tutor’s schedule will average 40 hours per week. It is not known at this stage which days the tutor will have off each week, and they may vary. The tutor will be involved in driving the children to and from certain activities as well working with different children in differing locations at different times of the day and week. Obviously this will require considerable flexibility and organisation.