There are two children. The older boy will be 14, and his brother will be 10. The children currently attend an excellent public school in Westchester County, NY.

The older boy is a calm, reserved, very polite young man who takes his studies seriously. His favourite subject is English, because he enjoys the process of creative writing, along with the brainstorming and imagination that it requires. He is also good in his other subjects, although his least favourite is math. No learning disability is suspected, and in the past he has scored very highly in math. His teachers have not always been very patient to explain concepts. Having sufficient patience to explain math ranks high in his preferences for the kind of Tutor he would like to have, alongside being kind, funny, comfortable to talk to, and happy to spend as much time as necessary to make sure he understands his work well.

He loves playing soccer, and has also played basketball and squash. He enjoyed narrating a Shakespearian play this year, and derived satisfaction from being in front of people. He likes the outdoors, and is in no way squeamish about insects or other creepy-crawlies, but has not experienced outdoor activities as much as he would like. In the past, he was highly organized and motivated, but recently has indulged in procrastination, and his executive functioning has broken down somewhat. He recognizes this, and feels that he would like to improve again to be back on top of his game.

His younger brother is a more gregarious boy who is always quick with a smile or a joke. He listens to what adults tell him, and responds in ways that show his understanding. His favourite subject this year was Social Studies, particularly the American Revolutionary War, because the way it was taught involved delving into the underlying economic and political causes of the war. He really enjoys understanding events from the ground up, and understanding how things come to be. He is an all-round good student, and likes being organized and responsible in general. His favourite teacher was nice, but strict. He likes being given responsibility and trust with positive expectations about the outcome of his work. He wants someone who is happy to take the time to teach subjects right, someone who is patient and understanding and would never yell at him.

The younger boy, like his older brother, also enjoys playing soccer; in fact, his team recently won the league championship. He likes the attention of public speaking. He reads book series, and has several under his belt. He enjoys playing outside and getting dirty, although not soaked with mud, and will be going on his first camping trip this summer.

Both boys are truly looking forward to their time out of school, but it is sincerely important to each of them to remain current in their studies. They will be serious students for the right Tutor, who will be able to relate to them with both professionalism and individual empathetic understanding.

The boys’ father plans to take the children out of school for a six-month period in order to broaden their view of the world, and in part to help the boys to process their new family situation. Unfortunately, the family suffered tragedy recently when the boys’ mother died of an illness. Their father has therefore chosen to retire from his career in finance to devote himself full time to raising his boys. Having fulfilled a traditional model of education and work himself, he wants his boys to have the freedom to think outside of the traditional New York box: to understand that education and career should not be about social status and ephemeral things that do not last, but rather should embrace human flourishing and happiness. Obviously, this is a long-term endeavour, but this trip will be an important aspect of first steps in that direction. They plan to travel widely, though their itinerary has yet to be confirmed. To date, possible locations include Los Angeles, Hawaii, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Manila, Sydney, Auckland, Fiji, Cape Town, Dubai, Madrid, and Rio de Janeiro. This list may be changed. The Tutor will be expected to travel with the family, providing a learning environment that is free-thinking, inspirational and enjoyable, but also structured enough to ensure the children keep in line with their peers back in New York. Blended tutoring that mixes subjects and makes good use of the local environment should be the norm, and not a special event.

The role will require a truly superb educator, who has the ability to use their environment to make their lessons come alive, and who has the experience of teaching across the age range involved in this contract. They should have excellent subject knowledge, and infectious enthusiasm for every subject they cover. It will be necessary for the Tutor to be fully versed in the American curriculum, having had experience of teaching it before to children of these ages.

Teaching in the inspirational environments planned offers able teachers unparalleled opportunities to illuminate the standard curriculum and enhance the learning experience in ways that should make this experience for the children something special that they reflect on fondly and look forward to with excitement. The Tutor should use the local environment as a resource wherever possible. This aspect of the role should not be reactive according to the schedule — it should be proactive, with the Tutor seeking out opportunities and making suggestions.

Although very free in scope, the Tutor must recognise that their students will need to be well versed in the appropriate levels of the core subjects on their return to mainstream school, and so an emphasis on these subjects would be helpful. However, it is important for the Tutor to realise that this journey is intentionally a low-pressure venture. Although there will be necessary curricular goals to be met, which will be set by the boys’ schools, their experience on this journey is meant to be the very opposite of stressful, so pressuring them unnecessarily is not appropriate in this role.

The Tutor must be organised, flexible, and adaptable. Although the family will try to maintain a routine, there may be occasions where local festivals are taking place, or a volcano is worth a visit, and the decision is made to adjust plans at short notice. It is important to roll with these interruptions, even to join in with the family, and certainly never to complain. These occasions are not inconveniences, but opportunities, and it is important that the Tutor is able to adjust flexibly and see them in this way.

Clearly, this role requires a resourceful, intelligent, and knowledgeable educator who is sensitive to the unusual circumstances of the position, relaxed and is easy-going with a sunny disposition on the one hand, while firm, encouraging and directed on the other. It is also important that the Tutor remembers that although the working environment is relaxed compared to formal schooling, it is essential they remain professional at all times, respectful of the family’s privacy, and aware of the confidential nature of the assignment.

The State of New York has various legal reporting requirements in place for home schoolers, which is the category under which these children will be classified during their sojourn. It will be the Tutor’s responsibility to stay on top of these requirements, proactively researching what they are, and filing the appropriate evaluations, forms, and reports on time and in thorough detail. This requirement is a serious and inflexible aspect of this position. It would be helpful if the Tutor had maintained similar reporting before, but not essential. Legal ramifications of failing to undertake this reporting can be serious.

While this family trip is designed as a break from traditional education for their children, there must be some structure to the days. It is important that the Tutors plan for the children to have unstructured time just to play as well as time to learn through play. In general, their father expects mornings to be school time and afternoons to be free, but this could vary on a day-to-day basis.

The Tutor should consider this to be a full time job. They will be entitled to two days off each week, though these will not always fall on the weekends. The Tutors will not be entitled to local public holidays.

The standard holiday entitlement that has accrued will be compensated for at the end of the contract if untaken.

The Client will provide accommodation with Internet for the Tutor, which may also act as the children’s schoolroom. This accommodation will be clean, safe and secure. The Client will be responsible for all bills on this property with the exception of any private phone calls. It is likely that in many locations this room will be a hotel accommodation. However, in many cities, the client will temporarily rent an apartment, in which the Tutor will have his own private bedroom and bathroom. Due to the nature of travel, there might be occasional days in which Internet access is unavailable, but these days will be rare exceptions.

The Tutor is responsible for his own meals except for any that occur during tutoring time.

The Client will be responsible only for the first outward and final return journey (or equivalent cost), and for all travel during the contract that the Tutor is asked to undertake.

It is unlikely that a car will be provided for the majority of the contract. If a car is required for tutoring purposes, the Client will cover all costs associated with it.

It is essential that the Tutor is fit and physically active, leads a healthy lifestyle, and in so doing sets a good example.

The Tutor will be responsible for arranging and financing their own health, possessions, and travel insurance.