The student is a delightful boy. He is engaging, curious about how things work, and interested in the world in general. His parents are erudite, intelligent and well educated with a global perspective that encompasses philosophy, music, philanthropy, the arts and education in many forms. There are clear signs that their son has inherited his parents’ work ethic and breadth of interests. In September 2014, the boy and his mother relocated from China. He has handled the move well, and settled quickly into his new school. The staff at school say that he is doing well, but it is evident that he could be doing a lot more. The family would like him to attend a different school in Oxford of a high calibre from September 2016, and need to prepare him well both for the entrance exams in January 2016, and for his continuing academic life in the new school.

At the moment, the student is not in a position to make a competitive application to the school of his choice. There are gaps in his knowledge. These gaps are not caused by lack of ability, but rather by lack of opportunity. His early years education has been very different to that of his peers, and his experiences to date have not matched the standards and norms of British private schools. This difference of experience needs to be addressed so that he is in a strong position going into the exams.

The student is fluent in Mandarin and English, and has just started learning French. He also has piano lessons, but as yet has not sat any formal grading exams. He sings well, and enjoys listening complex music such as symphonies and other orchestral performances. Additionally, he is a member of the Oxford drama school, which he thoroughly enjoys, and he also shows a certain aptitude in art.

Although his English is very good, switching from a Mandarin speaking environment to an English school has left him lagging behind his peers in certain areas. For example, he is currently reading at level 7 of the Oxford Reading Tree, while his peers are already on level 12. He is also slightly awkward in conversation in the sense that he understands broad topics, but he needs to improve listening skills and to learn to answer the questions he is asked. In his case, his ability to listen quietly to long symphonies dispels the possibility that there is anything of concern regarding attention. Instead it suggests that he just needs help to understand the nuances and intonations of spoken English. This is something that a native speaker would have no trouble with, but something with which he needs additional support.

The student’s mother is also keen to improve her English, and is hoping to take advantage of having a Tutor working with her son. She is already receiving tuition for her pronunciation and linguistic ability, but is after additional assistance to learn about English literature, social sciences and philosophy. Her needs are of a much higher level than the boy’s, and so the Tutor should be comfortable working with both a primary aged child and an intelligent, cultured and motivated mature student.

The best pathway for the student’s education has yet to be decided, and it may well be that the tutoring starts down one pathway, and then switches to another pathway at a later stage. With this in mind, it is important that the Tutor is flexible and adaptable in their working style. They should be equally effective taking full control of the student’s education as they are when supporting and extending the work set at school.

The full role of the Tutor will take one of three forms:

-The boy may continue attending his current school. If this is the case, the Tutor will provide after-school support and extension work, working with him from 4pm until 7.30pm Monday to Friday plus one day during the weekend. An alternate version of this plan is for the Tutor to work with him three or four evenings during the week, and over both days of the weekend.

-He may be homeschooled by the Tutor, who will provide a full home curriculum that encompasses all the school subjects that he would have received in school, but with particular focus on requirements of January 2016 exams. It will be essential, should this pathway become the preferred one, for him to remain involved with his extra-curricular activities as far as possible and for the Tutor to help manage the schedule accordingly. If this is the chosen then it is likely that this would only be until after the January 2016 exams, and that thereafter the role could become an after-school role as per the first option above.

-He will attend his current school part time, and supplement his education with private tuition in the afternoons. It is unlikely that the current school will agree to this, but it remains a possibility at present.

The student is an intelligent boy, and will benefit from being stretched academically. On the full days of tutoring, the family envisage 2-3 hours of intense and rigorous academic work during the mornings, followed by structured afternoon activities that, although designed to continue his education, should also be fun. The family will spend most of their time in Oxford, and while the city has plenty of museums and activities to keep a young boy interested, they would encourage the Tutor to take him to London or other locations that enhance his education.

This is a serious academic position, and as such, the Tutor should be very comfortable working to the highest levels of a competitive curriculum, helping the boy to explore fully his academic capabilities. The Tutor should have first hand knowledge of the requirements of top-level private schools, as well as experience teaching children to pass the exacting entry examinations. They should be able to explain concepts simply and effectively, targeting the weak areas and helping to plug gaps in knowledge. They should also have experience of the kind of tests that he is preparing for, both written and at interview.

If there is time, the boy’s mother would also like to spend time with her son’s Tutor, particularly regarding English literature, the social sciences and philosophy. The Client does not expect that the ideal Tutor for her son will also be able to a specialist in any of the topics that interest her, but it would be helpful if the Tutor is be able to cope with working at different levels. He or she should therefore be erudite, interested in their world, and passionate about something at a more mature level than that needed by the student. While the primary focus of this role is the student, the Tutor should not neglect his mother’s wish to benefit from the time with a British tutor around, and both students should be able to complete the year with a sense of accomplishment.

The Client is heavily involved in philanthropic work with Oxford University, and has strong connections with several renowned universities. She has formed an Education Foundation, and a Tutor interested in getting involved in some of what is going on within the university community or the Foundation would be welcomed. The Client is highly intelligent, and knowledgeable about education and education theory.

The Tutor should be eloquent, able to explain concepts simply, and able to inspire the children with his or her enthusiasm for any given subject. The Tutor should be an exceptional role model, and diplomatic, polite and friendly at all times. It is essential that the Tutor speaks and writes impeccable English and holds a recognised teaching qualification. The Tutor should be organised, kind, fun, inspiring, efficient and flexible in their work.

In addition to the academic demands of this role, the Tutor is required to help the boy learn good manners and better techniques for interacting with people. He currently lacks some of the social norms regarding greeting adults and participating in adult conversation. He can be prone to avoiding eye contact, and his non-verbal communication needs to be brought up to a standard where he can properly acculturate with his peers. Again, none of these differences are a sign of anything other than the result of his bi-lingual upbringing, but are behaviours that need to be taught and learned in plenty of time for them to appear natural just six months from now.

The role will build on the work completed over the summer, again ensuring that the student is in the strongest possible position for the January 2016 exams. Once the exams are over, the Tutor should concentrate on preparing him for the academic rigours of an excellent preparatory school, so that he can integrate smoothly in his new school. There may be an ongoing longer term after school support role for the Tutor by agreement with all parties from September 2017.

The Tutor should expect to work an average of about 50 hours per week with preparation time in addition. He or she will be entitled to two consecutive days off each week, though these will not always fall on the weekends. Any untaken holiday entitlement that has accrued will be compensated for at the end of the contract.

The Tutor may be asked to accompany the family when they travel, which is quite frequent. During any periods of travel the Client will be responsible for all the Tutor’s travel and accommodation expenses, and for all meals for any periods where the Tutor is accommodated in a hotel.

The Client will provide separate, furnished accommodation in the form of a coach house on the Client’s property. This accommodation will have Internet access. A room in the family home will be made available solely as the student’s schoolroom in the event that there are any periods of homeschooling.

The Tutor is responsible for his or own meals except for any that occur during tutoring time. Meals that occur during tutoring time may be taken with the student on some occasions, at the Client’s discretion.

There is limited travel associated with this role since the majority of the contract will take place in Oxford.

No car will be provided for the Tutor, but the family does have a driver and this resource may be available from time to time for the Tutor to take the student out. If any circumstances do merit the use of a car by the Tutor more frequently than currently anticipated then the Client will rent one for the Tutor or reimburse the Tutor for renting one.

It is essential that the Tutor is a non-smoker, is fit and physically active and leads a healthy lifestyle.

The Client is aware that there may be additional expenses involved in a Tutor making him or herself available at such short notice for this position and for the duration of the summer (or for the long term role after the summer). They have generously offered to ensure that any losses, such as for rental deposit, relocation expenses, storage, cancelled vacations or for termination of existing contracts, will be made up to the Tutor. Any expenses sought under this offer will be agreed in writing with Tutors International in advance.