The boy is a keen sportsman. He has a passion for golf and also enjoys football and tennis. It is his golf that has benefited most from the flexibility of homeschooling. He is engaging and sharp, quick-witted with a sense of humour. He learns best from teachers who are knowledgeable and who really bring subjects to life through their enthusiasm. He is energetic, physically very active, and enjoys the outdoors. He likes teachers who are fair and who provide clear boundaries, yet are able to include plenty of hands-on work to their learning. A creative teacher who can develop his or her materials to fit his learning style will find a willing student who learns quickly across all his subjects.

The girl is also bright and engaging, and has a lovely demeanour, patient and caring. Her passions are singing and dancing, and although she definitely enjoys books more than her brother, her interest in them has waned over the last year. Perhaps her new Tutor will be able to rekindle her interest to some extent.

Both children are social and enjoy not only the company of good friends but adult company too. They are gregarious and willing to have a go. They are looking forward to continuing their schooling during this short transitional phase.

The Tutor will need to create a formal programme of study and weekly timetable that follows the content of a specially designed curriculum. It is expected that the children will be taught most subjects separately, and then come together for certain creative projects. The two children work well alone, so this should be easily manageable even with only one Tutor. The Tutor should not create a high-pressure environment, instead there should be a relaxed but productive atmosphere, rich with discourse and dialogue that nurtures the development of inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people.

This means that the Tutor should adopt a range of activities, ranging from the traditional to the more progressive, and involving a great deal of practical and hands-on learning, to enthuse and educate the two children across all areas of their subjects. Where possible this take advantage of local environments, integrating visits to museums, art galleries, sites of historical or anthropological interest, for example, into the schooling. With a well-resourced and small class it should be possible to provide a far better schooling experience than any school. This period of home education comes at a difficult time in the children’s young lives and will need to be provided with tremendous sensitivity and care.

The Tutor will typically work with the children from Monday to Friday. The school day starts at 8.30am (with an hour for preparation before school) and finishes at 1.30pm. There will need to be breaks throughout the morning depending on the subjects being taught and the concentration span of the children.

A typical week will consist of daily instruction and activities from Monday-Thursday. During these days the tutoring will start at 8.30am and finish at 1.30pm, with appropriate breaks.

On Fridays during the first session, there will be an assessment session, with an opportunity for the children to demonstrate mastery of material studied during the week. These mastery assessments may take many forms: oral or written tests, presentations to parents, friends, family or other visitors, or any other platform that the Tutor feels is appropriate. If the children can demonstrate satisfactory mastery then the second period on Friday mornings will be rewarded with learning activities the children enjoy the most. If not, it is a time to make sure that the week’s learning is secure.

The Tutor will be responsible for recommending the resources he or she needs. The children’s mother will continue to be closely involved in her children’s schooling and has asked to be considered as one of the Tutor resources. Although this offer has been made, the Tutor should be aware that there is a lot to be done when moving home and that mum will be very busy.

There may be one or two periods of travel with the family during this short assignment, to South of France or South Africa, for one to two weeks at a time. If this is the case, the Tutor will need to bring a mobile version of the school and, while continuing the tutoring, make plans that take advantage of these different environments.

The Tutor should expect weekends off, unless travelling with the family at that time.

The Tutor is entitled to a minimum of the standard paid vacation as outlined in the Terms. Over a three-month contract this amounts to 11 working days; the Tutor should expect to take the majority of these after finishing with the family in early December.

No accommodation or car is provided for this role when the family are in London. When travelling, accommodation for a single Tutor will be provided, as will a car.

The Client will be responsible Tutor’s full expenses arising from any travel required for the position throughout the contract term. Although the family are currently based near Guildford, they will likely be based in Richmond (Surrey) for the duration of this assignment.

It is likely that the successful candidate will commute from London or a similar distance from the family home. The family will reimburse the Tutor for the cost of all public transport from London (or equivalent value), or will reimburse mileage at 50p per mile if the Tutor chooses to drive to work each day.

The family are calm and easygoing, and are a pleasure to work for. However, this does not mean that a Tutor engaged in a full time private service role should provide anything less than the highest levels of professional conduct and hard work.

The Tutor should be a non-smoker, lead a physically active lifestyle, and be healthy and fit. He or she should be engaging, have a good sense of humour and a sunny disposition. The family is very private and the Tutor will be expected to maintain complete confidentiality both during and after their appointment.