There are four children: a boy (13), a girl (11), their sister (6), and their brother (4). All four children are bright and able, get on well with one another, and have a wide range of interests covering sports, music, art, dance and languages. The children are currently enrolled at the local international school, but due to consistent underfunding it has become clear that the school is unlikely to be able to meet the family’s academic needs in terms of preparing the children for applications to world’s best Universities.

The oldest boy will be going into year 9 in September 2012. He is an able student in the top stream at school. He wants to do well in his studies, understands that effort is required to achieve excellence, and is willing to do whatever is needed to reach the highest standards. He has a warm and engaging demeanour that will make him a delightful student for a capable teacher. He is able across the subject range, is comfortable in social settings, popular with his peers, enjoys tennis and football, is learning piano and already has age-appropriate French. All in all, he is a well-rounded and interesting young man. His favourite teachers are knowledgeable, competent, organised, and able to bring a subject to life through engaging activities. He also likes teachers who have good sense of humour, and while setting high expectations to be met consistently, are never aggressive or rude.

His 11-year-old sister will be starting key stage 3 in September 2012. She is a meticulous and diligent student, who, like her older brother, likes to do well and is academically ambitious. She is interested in art and design, but the lack of good design technology facilities at her school has limited her ability to express her ideas as fluidly as would be ideal. She also enjoys ballet and tennis and is learning the piano. She is a responsible and kind child, and although she has not developed a strong sense of independence, has certainly become much more extrovert recently. She has rudimentary French, would like to do more, and has been learning Spanish at school.

Their 6-year-old sister is currently at stage 7-8 of the Oxford Literacy program and doing well at school. She is not yet as diligent as her older siblings, but does like to do well and is competitive. Although one of the best in her class, her teachers have noted that she is not as confident in the classroom as other students, and prefers to ask peers for help rather than her teachers. She is picking up French through the family’s travels, and has started Spanish at school. Languages and arts are her favourite subjects.

Their youngest brother is in his second year at school and is a happy child who is doing well. He has already learned the alphabet and numbers and is beginning to read. The younger children are following the IPC curriculum, which they enjoy and would like to continue.

This demanding role is expansive and far-reaching, covering a wide range of subjects and skills that extend from maths to music, and arts to languages. The appointed candidates will be highly educated, intelligent, well-travelled, responsible, practical, and down-to-earth people with a sense of fun who have a wide range of personal interests they can bring to the role. Both Tutors need to be mother tongue English, strong in French, and it would best if between the two they covered Spanish and Mandarin. The ideal Tutors will also have some musical ability, be physically fit and active.

The children will be home-schooled from September 2012, or earlier if possible, until age 16 at least. The Tutor will need to design and deliver a course that solidifies the extent of their schooling to date and then progresses towards (I)GCSE in as many subjects as they can manage. The plan is for the oldest boy to start his GCSE preparation as soon as the Tutoring role commences and to take three years over these studies instead of the usual two. By the time he is finished with his GCSEs, his sister will have started preparing for hers with the same three-year plan. This extra time and personal tuition means that instead of the eight subjects on offer at his current school, he could take many more, equaling if not exceeding the number taken by the best students in the top schools, or that he could even move onto AS or A levels in any courses in which he’s already completed the GCSE. It may also be worth considering their enrolment in suitable online courses that offer other credentials, perhaps in the US system. That said, given the freedom to teach and learn that comes with this position, there is nothing to be gained from entering exams or taking online courses before the children are ready to excel in them.

It will be essential for the Tutor to maintain meticulous, up-to-date records of achievement for all the children and across all their subjects.

While all concerned agree that full-time private tutoring offers the very best education, they are also aware that it can be relatively isolating if not sensitively and thoughtfully handled. Given the children’s social proclivities, it is imperative that the Tutor helps the children to develop and maintain social opportunities. For example, the Tutor may be able to maintain links with the children’s former school in Malta and thereby involve the children into some of their art, drama or sports. But even if this does not prove possible, the Tutors, their children (and perhaps even their parents) could be involved in a play involving friends among the cast. The children’s musical ability could be exploited, perhaps in the formation of a band; recital or performance would help to restore and develop confidence. Sports also lend themselves to social events.

This post also carries with it an opportunity to extend the teaching beyond the immediate environment, through excursions that fit into the curriculum. Such educational travel will need to be planned carefully in advance and with the approval of the Client. It makes more sense to study the Egyptians in Egypt than from a textbook!

Given the amount of time that children will receive individual tutoring each day, there should rarely be the need for homework. Homework should only be given if a particular skill needs to be practiced, or some background reading needed. On no occasion should it be necessary to give homework that includes unnecessary repetition or busy work. It will, however, be important for the children to develop good study habits including revision techniques, self-study, self-testing, and of course exam preparation.

It is not known at this stage how the children will work with their Tutors in terms of individual or group sessions, although clearly the oldest boy will need the most one-on-one time from the start. The Tutors will need work closely with each other and the Client to establish what works best for the children in any given situation.

There will be a well-equipped and dedicated schoolroom in all locations; the Tutors will be responsible for ensuring that it remains organised and properly stocked. The Tutors will also need to be responsible for packing and moving any teaching materials they wish to take between the locations or use during periods of travel.

This is a full time position and, as far as possible, will need to follow a carefully planned timetable. The Tutor should expect to work around 40 hours per week with preparation in addition. The Tutors will be entitled to an average of two consecutive days off per week, normally at the weekend, but may need to be flexible regarding the family’s travel plans and the children’s other activities.

The family have homes in France, Malta and Ireland, and travel frequently between them. In addition, once the tutoring starts, the family will have more freedom to travel unfettered by the need to attend a specific school, and the Tutors should expect longer trips further afield.

Furnished accommodation will be arranged for the Tutors in all locations. This may be an apartment, house, or guesthouse at the Client’s properties. It is possible that the Tutors will need to share the accommodation. If hotel accommodation is used when travelling, each Tutor will have his or her own bedroom.

The ideal applicant will be single, a qualified teacher, with plenty of experience, enthusiasm, and energy. They will need a track record of preparing students for excellence in their exams and must be capable of adapting their working style to fit the variable circumstances of working with four children at home or while travelling. The Tutors should be non-smokers, physically fit, imaginative and inventive.

One of the selected candidates will be designated as the lead Tutor, with additional responsibilities, such as ensuring that examination entries have been correctly administered.