The student is the only son of parents who have lived predominantly in Germany and Spain since their son was born. He attended a German school initially and then moved to a British School in Spain in the middle of Y6. Initially he was troubled by the behaviour of an influential boy in his class. Although this boy left the school, it set him on a course where his interest in studying became secondary to his situation. Combined with some significant internal school reorganisation, lacklustre teaching, and frequent change of school leadership, he never found his stride, lost his confidence and has gradually slipped further and further behind.

Some help from a local tutor who also works at the school showed that under the right circumstances the student has the ability to make very rapid improvement, but unless this is sustained by the kind of personal attention that only comes from one-on-one instruction, it is easy for him to fall into old habits.

Now, with just six months before his GCSEs finish, the student finds himself far from the standards needed to pass these exams with anything other than poor grades. At the same time, as a sign of developing maturity, he has developed ambitious academic plans that he and his parents would like to give him the opportunity to try to achieve. This means that there must be a step-change in the approach that has led to this current position and he is aware that he has a monumental task ahead of him if his new-found ambitions are to stand any chance of coming to fruition.

In person, the student is a quiet, reserved, respectful and polite young man. He is socially comfortable and has some good friends locally. He used to play tennis but no longer has that interest; his current passion is martial arts, which he learns with one of his family’s protection staff. He speaks, reads, and understands German more or less fluently, but his Spanish is not strong, and he considers English to be his primary language. He does not play any team sports or musical instruments but has indicated an interest in learning the guitar.

The student’s favourite teachers are demanding but kind. Their displeasure at his lack of effort is sufficient motivation for him to try harder to please. His least favourite teachers are those whose poor subject knowledge and lack of preparation is evident and who do not take the time or lack the ability to explain concepts to him properly.

This is a broad role that must cover a lot of ground over the next three and half academic years or so. The student’s past academic history paints a portrait of an uninterested, idle and fainéant young man. This is not the person that he wants to be, and to change this will require a new approach and a serious amount of effort. With the right Tutor as teacher, mentor and academic coach the task is eminently achievable, especially given the freedom to take an additional year over the remainder of his schooling.

The whole academic pathway that is needed cannot be mapped accurately at this stage, but the general outline would be as follows. Currently the student is enrolled in IGCSEs in Maths (core), Science (double award), English Language, German, Spanish, Business Studies, ICT and Drama. His predicted grades across all these subjects is currently F-D, which would leave him with no passing grades at all. He wanted to take History, which he describes as his favourite subject, but the school would not allow him to choose this option.

The student’s newfound ambition has put Sandhurst Military Academy on the list of possible plans. The majority of serious applicants are accepted after completing a bachelors degree from a good University. To get from the student’s current position to one from which he can make a convincing competitive application to Sandhurst will necessitate a complete transformation.

Considering the current situation and the ideal outcomes, the best initial pathway would be to reduce the number of IGCSEs to be taken this summer and change to a test centre (if need be this could be in the UK) that can offer the GCSE instead. The goal here would be to reduce the number of subjects and examination difficulty in order to concentrate on getting high good passing grades in fewer but stronger subjects. Then, after the summer, the student would take more GCSEs in the remaining subjects to bring him up to a minimum of 8 or 9 good passes either by the winter of 2016 or summer of 2017. Any subjects already completed to GCSE that he wants to take to A level could be started whenever appropriate, perhaps in September of 2016. He should aim for four good A level passing grades, but again does not need to take all four subjects at once and could do some in 2017 and some in 2018.

In an ideal world, the Tutor should also be looking to maximise the benefits of whatever strengths and skills the student possesses. For example, it is likely the American AP courses and examinations in German and Spanish will be more approachable than the A level, and enrolment in an accredited online US high school programme that allows access to a pathway from which he could co-graduate from the US schools system in conjunction with completing GCSEs and A levels would enhance his CV and make it easier to apply for one of the better US or Canadian universities further down the line if this becomes of interest.

In addition to restoring a strong academic record it will be important for the student to show that he has the kind of personal qualities of teamwork and leadership needed. In a home-schooling context it is harder to get involved in team sports, but it is imperative that opportunities are taken to do so. This may involve, for example, joining sports clubs, setting up a Duke of Edinburgh Award (of which TI already has experience in a home education setting), joining committees, community service, fund-raising etc. He will also need to build his wider CV by completing assessed skills such as PADI, a private pilot’s license, or gaining boating qualifications for sailing or powered craft. It will be important for the Tutor to research what is available locally and wider afield and what is needed to ensure that these kinds of activities take place to a recognisably high standard in addition to the academic side of the role.

The Tutor for the immediate term role, from January to June 2016, is clearly key in laying down the groundwork for the longer term role and so must be an experienced and resourceful educator. The goal is not to frighten the student into action, but to nurture him into the person he wants to be rather than the person he is currently.

The Tutor is expected to work up to an average of 40 hours per week contact time, with preparation time in addition. For the most part the hours will follow a stable timetable during the normal working week of Monday-Friday. With some travel possible and exams imminent the Tutor should expect to be flexible in this regard if the circumstances merit additional working hours or days.

The Tutor will be entitled to 5 weeks paid vacation during the contract period. These will be February 13-21 (2 weeks), Easter (2 weeks – exact dates to be confirmed by agreement between Client and Tutor at a later date), and the last week of June (1 week).

The Client will provide a furnished apartment for the sole use of the Tutor near the family home in Mallorca. The Client will pay for all bills on this accommodation, except for the Tutor’s personal phone bills.

The Tutor will be provided with a car for his or her personal use.

A room in the family home will be set aside as the schoolroom for the sole use of the student and his Tutor.

There will likely be some travel in this role, primarily between Germany and Spain, but possibly to other locations in Europe or further afield, and the Tutor must therefore ensure that he or she has the requisite travel and health insurance, has received the required vaccinations, and has the necessary visas.

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

The Tutor should lead a physically active lifestyle, and be healthy and fit. He or she should be engaging, have a good sense of humour and a firm yet reassuring manner. He or she must be a serious educator who understands the responsibility this role carries.