There are two children: age 10 in 4th grade and age 8 in 2nd grade. The older student is a lovely, well-meaning and friendly boy who likes school even though he has had a long history of academic challenges. The brothers enjoy many sports, including skiing and ice hockey, and they are artistic, creative and well travelled.

Both children are currently enrolled in their local public grade school, but due to the older boy's learning differences he has been falling significantly behind. He has recently started to receive support after school using the Orton-Gillingham approach, and even in these early days is beginning to show progress. As soon as a suitable Tutor can be found, he will be taken out of the local school and home-schooled instead. Even though he has had a long series of academic challenges, he likes being taught. In the classroom he finds it hard to maintain focus, and his younger brother can be a distraction when he's doing homework. Homeschooling will be able to help him to work without distraction during the day and the increased output that this creates will reduce the need for homework.

He was formally tested at the end of October 2013. The test scores indicate a perfectly capable child who has deficits in processing and working memory commonly associated with dyslexia. The test on record was somewhat conservative in its findings compared with how he presented in person; results of another test later this year, after a period of support, will offer a clearer picture. Whatever the accuracy of the October 2013 assessment, the tests support home observation of dyslexia and dyscalculia, together with some mild attention lapses. As things stand now though, he can find it hard to maintain focus in the classroom or when doing homework with his younger brother nearby, and readily admits to needing to remind himself to pay attention when he notices his focus is waning. Again, from personal experience, it seems more likely that any lapses of attention are symptomatic of the exhaustion he experiences through the efforts he makes to study, together with real distractions that would affect any child, rather than from any clinical condition.

He prefers math to reading, which he finds hard. Unfortunately his issues with being able to read fluently, or follow sequences of directions when presented orally, can also prevent him from understanding the question being asked, and his disorganized layout then sometimes affects the accuracy of his working. In addition, what appears as dyscalculia then inhibits an appreciation for the scale of the numerical answer determined and so it is easy for him to think he's answered something completely or correctly when in fact he's made a series of small mistakes that lead to incorrect or incomplete solutions. These persistent difficulties have done nothing for his confidence, and it's important that he receives the support he needs before this becomes another barrier.

The younger boy is smart and is already on a par with his older brother in some areas, and even ahead in others. He also enjoys school and shares many of his older brother's interests. He can do much of the work that his brother can't. When they are working together, as they currently are when doing homework, he can be a huge distraction to his older brother. He doesn't need to put in anything like as much effort to complete the work he has been set, and is at present coasting. His school seems content with the situation and are not offering any extension work. Given his obvious ability and current unwillingness to do anything more than he needs to, it is likely that sibling respect and rivalry are creating a situation for him where he doesn't want to show up his older brother and so deliberately, if subconsciously, is holding himself back. Once homeschooling starts, and the children can work individually to maximize their own potentials, this should give him the space to grow without the risk that he is upstaging his older brother.

The overall aim of the tutoring is to help to prepare both boys for possible re-entry to a good school either in America at grade 10 or perhaps a good European IB school at grade 12. This is a long-term role, with the Tutor(s) required to assist all the way to SAT preparation and college applications.

Due to the provincial and geopolitical nature of the school, it does not have a program for recognizing or supporting those students whose learning style is a poor fit with the mainstream. The boys' current school works within the standard American grade-school parameters, and due to having little experience dealing with students who display learning differences or, it would seem, talent above their grade level, the school has not been proactive in bringing the older boy's issues to the attention of his parents or offering enhancement work for his younger brother. This has resulted in the older boy being well behind his peers, perhaps two years behind in some areas. It also means that the younger boy is not being given the opportunity to move ahead at the rate at which he is capable.

At the time of writing this Specification, the plan is to start to homeschool the older boy as soon as possible (February or March 2014) with the support of a full time tutor with experience in dyslexia and dyscalculia to help mitigate the damage. If this goes ahead as hoped then the Tutor who has completed this job will have a good deal of insight to share with the person that takes over in September. That person is also free to apply for this role if he or she wishes.

The successful Tutor must be a qualified teacher able to deliver a broad American curriculum. He or she must be experienced in Special Educational Needs, especially dyslexia and dyscalculia, but does not need to have a specialist qualification. He or she should be familiar with some of the better-established management techniques, such as Orton-Gillingham or Wilson, and be able to employ techniques such as the Davis Mastery programs for dyslexia, to help the older boy to master trigger words, both in his writing and reading. New technologies should also be utilized, where applicable, such as dictation software and learning to type and use spell-checker effectively. It will also be essential for the Tutor to help him to develop lifelong techniques for managing his learning differences, since clearly his current armory is insufficient.

The Tutor will be responsible for bridging the gap between what the older boy can do at the moment and what he should be doing in terms of the American curriculum at the middle of his grade level. The Tutor should embrace the learning opportunities that full time private tutoring affords, keeping lessons relevant, interesting, and engaging, and making good use of the natural surroundings and facilities that the local town has to offer. The family will also travel farther afield - the family has three houses across America and additional properties in Europe that they frequent. The Tutor should infuse his or her teaching with content that relates to these broader geographical experiences.

The tutoring will need to take place around the family's timetable. While this will be relatively stable for the most part, it may deviate from traditional school hours in order, for example, to allow the family to make good use of particularly good ski conditions some mornings. The tutoring will also need to accommodate the older boy's regular evening ice hockey practices in the early evenings, and of course the family travel plans.

The Tutor should be a well-educated individual with a wide range of interests and broad subject knowledge. Although the focus of this role is clearly the older boy's development, the Tutor is likely to have interaction with the whole family, and will have a formal role with the younger boy too. The family is liberal, broad-minded and quite European in outlook, and it would be helpful to have a Tutor who shared their values, or at least does not have strong contrary ones of their own, and who had broadened their own mind through travel or experience of non-American cultures.

The Tutor should be eloquent, able to explain concepts simply and able to inspire the older boy with his or her enthusiasm for any given subject. He or she should have a wide knowledge base and a range of extra curricular skills and interests that they can share with the family. The Tutor should be a natural communicator with a kind and caring disposition, and a firm-but-fair approach to their work. The older boy likes skiing and ice hockey, and it would be helpful if the Tutor shared some or all of these sporting interests, especially given the opportunity for winter and mountain sports available on the doorstep.

The Tutor, supported by Tutors International, will be responsible for advising the parents regarding adjustments that need to made at home to accommodate full time homeschooling, and regarding any resources that may be required.

The Tutor is expected to work an average of 8 hours per day, with preparation time in addition. For the most part the hours will follow a stable timetable agreed with the parents, but the Tutor should also allow for flexibility, especially regarding travel. This 8-hour period is not expected to be all formal study - quite the contrary. It should include excursions, periods of outdoor activities and plenty of hands-on and project work. Of course, there should also be periods of formal one-on-one study and time for the boy to develop good independent study habits.

The Tutor should expect an average of two consecutive days off per week. They may not be the same days week to week, and flexibility in this respect is important.

The Tutor will have a minimum of nine weeks paid vacation per annum as per the Terms. These will be taken at times suitable to the Client, and will likely follow the same pattern as the school holidays, with breaks at Christmas, New Year, Easter and the summer. The Tutor is expected to work with the boy on any public holidays Monday-Thursday that are not part of the arranged vacation periods.

The Client will provide a fully furnished house with excellent Internet. This accommodation will, initially at least, likely be shared with the other Tutor and be used as the schoolhouse.

All bills on this accommodation, except for the Tutor's personal phone bills, will be paid for by the Client. The Tutor will be provided with a car for his or her personal use.

Jackson Hole is small city, but with good amenities for its population. While it is far from being a buzzing and vibrant social mecca, the town has a budding arts scene, a theatre, a good selection of shops and restaurants and a friendly atmosphere. Winter sports are particularly good, as is hiking and other outdoor activities. The summer offers a broad range of activities making use of the rivers, lakes, trails, climate and wilderness. The local airport has regular flights to Denver, Salt Lake City, and Los Angeles, all of which are good bases from which to explore the US or fly to Europe or Asia.

There will likely be frequent travel in this role, to destinations in the US and Europe, as well as farther afield, and the Tutor will therefore need to ensure that he or she has the requisite travel and health insurance, and has received the required vaccinations etc.

The Client will be responsible for the Tutor's full expenses arising from any travel required for the position throughout the contract term.

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 humor and a sunny disposition, and yet be a serious educator who understands his or her responsibility in this important role.