There are two children, girls ages 9 and 4. Both girls are delightful young people, well behaved, engaging, bright and polite. They will be a pleasure for an able educator to work with every day. Both girls are physically active, enjoying a range of sports including running and skiing, dance and music (piano).

The girls have been raised both in English and French-speaking environments. They have lived in Geneva all their lives except for the summers, which are spent in Vancouver. This timing has meant that both girls’ English language development has been affected by learning French at the same time. The effect on the older girl is obviously less than on the younger. The family are aware of this and are not unduly concerned, but the London prep schools into which the children will move are not as understanding. The need has arisen to provide a well-spoken, mother-tongue English Tutor to support the girls’ school work with a view to developing their English language to a level that means that they will be more fairly assessed by comparison to their native English peers when they make application at London schools.

There is some inconclusive evidence that the younger girl may have some kind of speech or language weakness that will benefit from targeted support.

From August 2015 the family will be traveling for a year and the children will be homeschooled. The Tutor must be able to teach the full curriculum at the required grades as if they were at an English public school for the year that they will be away, including the requirements for any entry assessments that might be needed. Upon their return in August 2016, the girls they should both be able to fit seamlessly into the respective classes. It could also be that the family will return to Geneva for a period of time before they move to London, and return their children to schools in the French system. It is therefore important that their French is also maintained to retain this option.

The itinerary is still in development, but will likely be largely in Central and South America, Canada, Europe and Australia. At present, the family’s plans are to stay for 3-8 weeks in any one location so that they can really get to know a few places rather than rush around and glance over many. This allows for a homeschooled education that goes well beyond covering just basic curriculum relevant to the schools into which the girls will be returning, because it allows each location to form a major focus. Spending time in a particular location means that the Tutor can intertwine the travel into their teaching in a way that allows the children to get involved in the local cultures and traditions. It also allows for an element of social interaction with local children that homeschooling travel assignments often can’t.

It is not yet known what the hours of instruction will be and these will obviously need to be adjusted flexibly to fit with the travel plans. Once settled in a specific location, it should be possible to construct a more or less fixed timetable that takes into account the locale, weather, and activities available. A skilled teacher should be able to ensure that the requisite school curriculum is covered while learning about the local environment and while continuing to bring on the girls’ English language skills of reading, listening, speaking, reading comprehension, and writing as needed to develop vocabulary, grammar, confidence, and fluency.

The Tutor must be fluent in French, and it would be useful if the Tutor could offer Spanish, since this will be the next language for the children to learn and their mother is keen to improve her level before the family travel from next fall. The ideal Tutor will play a musical instrument, piano or violin preferred, or singing is fine too. It would also be helpful if the Tutor enjoys taking part in a range of sports including skiing.

The family has a much-loved, committed and highly protective nanny who they will be retaining indefinitely. They are concerned that the nanny might feel displaced by the arrival of the Tutor, and it is therefore essential that the Tutor be aware of this and behave with appropriate tact. The nanny’s English is not strong, and she will be moving to London with the family. Part of the Tutor’s remit will be to offer the nanny help with her English, and perhaps her Spanish.

The Tutor will typically work 5 days a week for up to 40 hours per week. The Tutor is entitled to two consecutive days off per week on average. These will likely be at the usual weekends, but could vary with the Client’s changes of plans or other sports or extracurricular activities.

The Tutor is entitled to 45 working days off, paid, per annum at times agreed with the Client. Public holidays at the place where the tutoring takes place will normally be off. Where vacation allowance has accrued but not been taken, the Tutor will be compensated by payment in lieu of notice at the prevailing rate.

The Client will ensure that the Tutor has her own appropriate, safe, clean and private accommodation throughout the assignment. This will likely be in a hotel, shared apartment or shared house.

The Client will reimburse the Tutor for all local public transport, and may be able to make a car available for excursions as needed. In general, though, the Tutor should not expect to have access to a vehicle for her personal use.

The Tutor must be fit and healthy, a non-smoker.

The Tutor must be organised, self-reliant, and independent. She should not require ‘hand-holding’ for any aspect of the position. This role requires a Tutor who is flexible and able to adapt their plans to the different locations and the needs of the family, without fuss.

It is important that the Tutor hold a passport/nationality that allows them to travel with the family if needed. The Client will reimburse the costs of any tourist visas or visa applications required for such travel.