The elder of the two children, a 14 year old freshman girl, is the main focus of this role. A recent educational evaluation found in her “the presence of a specific learning disorder with impairment in reading fluency…and is secondary to phonological processing deficits.” The girls’ parents are warm, supportive and kind, engaged with their children, and fully abreast of their daughter’s learning styles. The whole family is athletic and very keen on competitive swimming, and it is clear that the student, who is a serious athlete, thrives on the competitive nature of her chosen sport. Such is their love for swimming, the family are planning to relocate to Singapore in January, to be near a very close family friend and fellow swimmer who is a serious contender for an Olympic medal in 2016. He has almost become family, to the point where the student views him as an older brother and her parents support him as they would if he was their son.

Away from the pool, the student is charming, friendly and cooperative. She is genial, intelligent and interested in the world around her. She has struggled with reading throughout her school career, and various dyslexic traits have been identified over the years and through the reports of education psychologists. She has regularly received extra tuition to help her overcome her difficulties with written work, but now that she is in high school, it has become clear that while this tuition, combined with her natural intelligence, was enough to let her coast through middle school, it has not been enough to give her the solid foundations she needs for the next level of her studies. Her school has also identified some evidence of mild ADHD, which was supported by the education psychologist’s report, but which they have not been properly able to ameliorate.

The student’s difficulties in her academic life are compounded by the ineffectual study habits and poor work ethic she has developed over the years. For example, when given an assignment for homework, she commonly procrastinates, then rushes to finish her work on time. Historically this has led to good grades, unfortunately reinforcing the pattern. Alternatively, she spends too much time in preparation for learning by developing beautiful, colour-coded filing systems and the like, but not enough time actually learning the material. Additionally, like many teens, she has also developed a social-media habit which will take some effort from all parties to address.

While the student currently attends a school in Kansas City, she cites the aforementioned fraternal swimmer figure as being her favourite teacher. He is calm and knowledgeable, but relentless, and makes the student take risks with her learning without putting pressure on her to succeed. It seems that he subscribes, whether knowingly or not, to Carole Dweck’s ‘growth mind-set’ style of teaching. The student doesn’t like teachers who are rude, sarcastic, pushy or demanding. However, her innate competitive spirit may actually respond well to a little cajoling (though never rudeness or sarcasm) and it may be that over time, the Tutor can become more demanding in an effort to draw the best out of her. Her least favourite teacher is her current Mathematics teacher who is young and has misapplied the ‘flipped teaching model’ to her lessons. When done correctly, flipped teaching can undoubtedly improve the understanding and test scores of students. However, this teacher has fundamentally misunderstood how to use flipped teaching to their advantage – materials for the self-taught elements are neither comprehensive nor particularly instructive, and in the classroom, the teacher doesn’t have the time to correct all of her pupil’s misunderstandings and errors.

Although the family want to move to Singapore in mid-January, it may be that this role starts in Kansas City until their plans for relocation are set. The student will remain on roll at her current school until the family leave for Singapore – and (hopefully) while they are away. This means that the Tutor will potentially start working in an after-school support capacity before relocating. Once in Singapore, the Tutor must liaise with the student's teachers at her current school to ensure she stays on par with her peers, so that she can smoothly reintegrate into the school when she returns. Her parents are very open to using a home-schooling platform if the school is happy and able to facilitate it (at the time of writing the Specification there have been no discussions with the school on this matter), though it is probable that, at most, the Tutor will not receive any directed guidance from the school and should not expect a fully symbiotic relationship with them.

The family only plan to be in Singapore for six months, so on their return to the US, the Tutor will likely assume a role supporting the student after school and around her own swim training. Despite her current teacher, she enjoys mathematics. She is also keen on the sciences and has expressed an interest in taking AP chemistry on her return from Singapore. One of the recommendations from the educational evaluation was that perhaps the school’s concerns about her weaknesses in reading in particular meant that they had not put her forward to the more advanced classes and the ADHD-like observations may be the result of lack of intellectual challenge. This is one area that one on one teaching should be able to explore in detail. The Tutor must be well versed in all high school subjects, as well as having Spanish to a high level, and a demonstrable knowledge of theology.

It is thought that having a Tutor to take charge of the student’s education will bring three main benefits to her learning. The first is that her reading and writing deficit will be properly addressed and techniques found to help her learn to manage these relative weaknesses to such an extent that they do not inhibit her academic progress. The Davis method may well be key to this, and her parents are keen to employ a Tutor who has experience of the system or who is willing to learn about it and implement the techniques in their teaching. Remedial work on her reading and writing will have a positive effect across the subjects and her grades should improve as a direct result.

The second benefit is that the Tutor will instill good study habits and techniques which will stand her in good stead for the advancement of her studies. Reducing her time on social media will not only help with improving her effectiveness while studying, but may also help to reduce her occasional anxiety.

The final benefit of private tuition is that it will grant the opportunity to be really challenged by her studies. Her parents are aware that since being labelled as ‘dyslexic’ or having learning differences, her previous schools have, to some extent, assumed that she cannot be expected to do well in school. As a result, their expectations for her have been lower, and she has never really been pushed in the classroom, which has led to a certain laziness and procrastination. By challenging her with her learning, it is hoped that the Tutor can not only improve her performance academically, but will also increase her curiosity and natural desire for knowledge.

The pathway for extending the student’s academic experience has yet to be decided. Taking additional courses through the NUVHS or a similar provider is the likeliest route. An alternative is to study a range of British GCSEs concurrently with the American system. A blend of the two is also possible, especially in subjects that share similar content. With this in mind, a Tutor with experience of the British National Curriculum will find themselves at an advantage. (It should be noted at this stage that the student’s school is unaware of this thinking and has therefore not yet considered whether they would be able to add externally achieved courses/grades into her transcript, either achieved through NUVHS or through British qualification, but previous experience indicates that this should not be a serious issue). Either way, with the student’s interest in math and chemistry, the family is starting to see a strong scientist emerging, and the Tutor should do all they can to encourage and guide her in these subjects.

The Tutor must be well organised, flexible and adaptable. Although the family will try to maintain a routine while in Singapore, there may be occasions where the demands of their swim training dictate the timetabling for the days’ lessons. It is important to roll with these occasional interruptions and never to complain. The successful candidate for this role must be upbeat, inspirational and have plenty of energy. Ideally they will be able to build good working relationships with the teachers at the Kansas City school as well as with the Client’s other members of staff. They will also need to be competent in curriculum design, as well as being creative and imaginative.

The Tutor should be a well-educated individual with a wide range of interests and broad subject knowledge. She or he should be eloquent, able to explain concepts simply and able to inspire with his or her enthusiasm for any given subject. The Tutor should have a wide knowledge base and a range of extra-curricular skills and interests that they can share with the family, and should be a natural communicator with a kind and caring disposition, and a firm-but-fair approach to their work.

The family are aware that an intensive six-month period with a private Tutor is insufficient to resolve all of the student’s learning issues. They want a long-term support structure in place for the student to help her manage her learning differences and to ensure that the foundations for future learning are solid. Additionally, there may be a requirement for the Tutor to provide extension work or assistance to the 5-year-old sister. This will initially form only a small part of the role, though this element may increase as the girl moves up through the school grades.

The Tutor is expected to work up to an average of 40 hours per week contact time, with preparation time in addition. In America, the student will keep regular school hours, so the majority of tutoring will take place after school. In all locations, for the most part the hours will follow a stable timetable agreed with the parents, but the Tutor should also allow for flexibility.

The Tutor will normally get two consecutive days off per week, but this will not always be possible. Also, the Tutor should be aware that days off may not be the same days from week to week.

The Tutor has a minimum of nine weeks paid vacation per annum as per the Terms, to be taken at times convenient to the Client. The Tutor is expected to work on any public holidays Monday-Friday that are not part of the arranged vacation periods.

Given the nature of the role and the extent of the remit, Tutors International has advised that the initial contract term be set to end on August 31, 2017 with renewal by agreement with all parties in 12-month terms commencing September 1, 2017.

While in Kansas City, the Client will provide private, furnished accommodation near to their family home. The Client will pay for all bills on this accommodation, except for the Tutor’s personal phone bills.

While in Singapore, it is likely that the Tutor’s accommodation will be in the form of a house shared with the other members of the Client’s staff (for example, the swim coach and the house keeper). Suitable accommodation will also be arranged in all locations where the family have properties.

In addition to the time spent in Singapore, there may be elements of travel in this role. While in Singapore, this travel will primary be to places relatively close to Singapore, such as Bali or Australia. While in the US, travel will be primarily to destinations in other states and territories. 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.

The family are aware that the short lead-in nature of this recruitment means that certain additional costs may be incurred by the Tutor (for example, exit fees on rented accommodation, or storage of household possessions) and have generously offered, on provision of documentary evidence such as receipts, to cover these costs where necessary. Any such additional expenses will need to be agreed in advance with the family before the Tutor spends any monies which they hope to have reimbursed.

The monthly salary for the Tutor is inclusive of an amount of disturbance compensation to cover the inconvenience of changing plans at short notice.