The student is the youngest of three children (he has two sisters who will both be in College when this role starts). He is a typical, rambunctious, gregarious young man. He is motivated to succeed in school, but his past school experience was filled with uninspiring teachers and this dented his enjoyment of the learning process. The last two years has largely mitigated the past, but there is still work to be done to completely eliminate the more lasting effects.

The student has ADHD and dyslexia, which significantly affect his education. His general manner displays many of the symptoms associated with these, such as difficulty in understanding instructions. The family have tried various methods in the past to help him manage his dyslexia. He struggled at school, though it is unclear how much of this struggle was due to his learning differences and how much was due to poor teaching. For example, he used to enjoy and excel at mathematics, but his grades (and confidence) dropped at school and the school could offer little in the way of extra support. For the last two academic years, he has been home schooled with a Tutor from Tutors International following the ISEB curriculum. Despite the student’s difficulties, it has become clear that he has a talent for foreign languages (French) and that in this context he is a good listener. He is also a very good actor and he enjoys having the opportunity to demonstrate his performing skills across the range of subjects. The young man enjoys a number of extra-curricular activities including Warhammer and building sets in the Lego Creator series, and a wide range of sports and other physical activities.

The student likes teachers who are encouraging and motivating. He has seen the coaching methods employed by sports teachers and would like to see more of this positive, no-nonsense teaching in his other subjects. He enjoys practical, hands-on subjects like the sciences and technology lessons, and appreciates that he needs to be pushed in other subject areas to stay on topic. He is an able sportsman. He currently enjoys playing sports such as basketball and padel tennis. He is also passionate about his local American football team and never misses the opportunity to watch them play.

One of the main reasons for continuing with homeschooling is the flexibility it affords. A full-time Tutor who can deliver all the school subjects and help teach languages and music means it will be possible for the tutoring to be arranged around all the extra curricular activities, sports, and the family’s extensive travel plans. Clearly this means that the Tutor needs to be well-organised at all times and be ready to accommodate the family’s fluid schedule, calmly and with good grace even if, at times, it may be inconvenient in relation what has been planned.

Along with the usual confidentiality agreement required by Tutors International there is a family non-disclosure agreement that the Tutor may be required to sign at interview with the Client. Further, any offer of a position will subject not only to the usual extensive background screening but also to thorough medical and drug use screening.

The Tutor must be able to offer a strong science and mathematics course following the British curriculum, as well as being able to contribute to English and other GCSE subjects. Although the current plan is to remain largely on the UK track, it could be that some US courses will be substituted and it could be that this becomes much more balanced between the British and American systems. Regardless of the system or combination of systems that are ultimately chosen, the Tutor must be able to deliver the required range of age-appropriate subjects to a high standard. He or she must organise comprehensive courses for the student, with detailed lesson plans and built-in flexibility to work with the family’s fluid schedule.

The Tutor must be dedicated and disciplined in his/her own preparations as much as with the work produced by the student. The Tutor should plan creative lessons and projects that take full advantage of the immediate locale, integrating classroom lessons with outdoor lessons, hands on study periods and practical science or technology sessions in the appropriate location. At home in Maryland, the family has built a well-equipped science lab, and this allows for a very good level of science education to be delivered. In addition, the Tutor is expected to make full use of the surroundings – time spent in any location should include trips to relevant museums, exhibitions, plays and conferences as well as exploiting the natural resources for science, geology, geography and history lessons etc. The student has, for example, so far enjoyed trips to the International Spy Museum in DC, the Frick Collection in New York and the Great Falls Park, Virginia.

The Tutor should be well-educated with a wide range of interests and broad subject knowledge in additional to excellent specialist subject knowledge. It would be useful if he/she could bring a range of extra-curricular skills and interests that can be shared with the family. This could be expertise in music, art, a particular sport or cuisine, a passion for debate, astronomy or other interesting subject that adds value to the children’s education. The current tutor, for example, has shared his passion for collecting oil portraits and introduced the student to new sports such as cricket, fencing and rugby. The family is accepting and broad-minded, and it would be helpful to have a Tutor who shared their values, or at least is able to keep their own to themselves. The successful applicant for this role will likely have broadened their own mind through overcoming some kind of significant adversity and by travel to experience a range of non-American cultures that goes deeper than the cursory tourist view.

The Tutor should be eloquent, able to explain concepts simply and able to inspire with his or her enthusiasm for any given subject. He or she should be a natural communicator with a kind and caring disposition, and a firm-but-fair approach to their work.

He or she must be experienced in Special Educational Needs, especially dyslexia and ADHD, but does not need to have a specialist qualification. He or she should be familiar with some of the better-established management techniques, such as Orton-Gillingham or Wilson, and be able to employ techniques such as the Davis Mastery programs for dyslexia, and to help the student master trigger words, both in his writing and reading. New technologies should also be utilized, where applicable, such as dictation software and learning to type and use spell-checker effectively. It will also be essential for the Tutor to help the student develop lifelong techniques for managing his learning differences. The current tutor has found that the technique of using a light box for work has been particularly successful. This has enabled him to concentrate on his work for sustained periods. He has also, for example, concentrated on written and student book-based teaching. This has provided the student with easily accessible sources for revision. It has also helped to engender pride in his work. No doubt he will take pride in showing the new tutor his work – something that he was unable to do two years ago.

The Tutors will need to work cooperatively to structure the school day, which will usually take place between 9am and 4pm, Monday to Friday. Alongside this, the student will be taking part in other extra curricular activities such as sports. The boy’s timetable is tightly packed, so it is important that the Tutor is flexible in his or her approach to teaching, but strict enough to keep academic work on target.

Homework should only be set as required; it should be tailored according to the student’s schedule and progress, in order to consolidate the classroom learning and in preparation for assessment. There is no need for busy work, and homework should be aimed at developing cognitive development rather than simply to occupy time. The family recognises that developing good revision techniques and test-taking skills are an essential part of the learning experience. Frequent, relevant testing should therefore be carried out and reported; this will allow the student and his parents to monitor his studies, and will provide the reassurance that normally arises from classroom environments where there is peer-comparison.

The family have homes in Aspen and the Bahamas, and they own a large motor yacht. They plan to travel more and to make more use of their boat over the coming years, so the Tutor should be prepared to teach lessons in a variety of locations whilst at sea, cruising the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. The Tutor needs to remain flexible, with a youthful adaptability, but without any loss of discipline when accommodating the family’s organic schedule. This can often mean that plans may change at short notice, and therefore the Tutor needs to be all the more structured and organised.

The role will go to the person who best meets the requirements regardless of age, gender or marital status.

This is a full time position. The Tutor must be able to respond flexibly to the client’s requirements in terms of availability and working time. The Tutor should expect to be working with the student for at least 40 hours per week, and to fit their preparation time in during evenings and afternoons as needed. The Tutor will be entitled to two consecutive days off per week, usually over the weekends. However, given the nature of the position and the family’s changing timetable, the Tutor should be prepared to adapt their plans to suit the Client’s requirements. Advanced notice will be given where possible.

The Tutor is entitled to a minimum of nine weeks (45 working days) paid vacation per annum. The dates for this will be at times convenient for the Client. Although they are likely to mirror the usual seasonal breaks they will not necessarily follow the pattern of school terms and holidays.

Fully furnished accommodation with all modern conveniences including high speed Internet will be provided by the Client in Germantown. During periods of travel, the Client is mindful of the need for appropriate privacy and security, and for creating a suitable working environment.

The Client will also make arrangements for a car for the personal use for the Tutor throughout their contract, and will cover all expenses involved in the running of this car for work-related purposes, including comprehensive insurance. The Tutor will be responsible for the costs arising from their own personal use of the vehicle, and for any damage they cause and which is not covered by insurance.

A specially designated schoolroom and science lab will be made available for the Tutor, and he or she is expected to assist in the purchase of supplies and resources. The schoolroom has been built specially for the tutoring in Potomac.

The family have houses in Aspen and the Bahamas as well as Potomac. They also have a large motor yacht that they plan to make extensive use of given the freedom of home schooling. The Tutor should therefore expect to travel extensively with the family, particularly on the yacht. During all travel, the Client will cover all expenses for the Tutor, and the tuition should continue irrespective of the location.

The successful applicant for this role will be a non-smoker, who leads a healthy lifestyle. He or she will be fit and physically active and takes regular exercise, able to run around and play a variety of sports and games with the boy. It would be advantageous if the Tutor also enjoys water and mountain sports.