There are three female students. The oldest is an 18 year old who is due to complete her IB program this summer. She is taking a gap year, and is planning to continue her studies at a Spanish university, starting a BA course in Business in September 2017. She would like to use her gap year constructively, and would like to build on her Spanish language skills while the family are travelling. She has previously studied Spanish for one year, but this was a long time ago and she should be considered as a beginner.

The youngest of the three is a funny, affable, easy going young lady who will be a delight to work with. She is currently following the pre-IB program at Frankfurt International School (FIS) and will be entering grade 10 in September, studying English (her current grade is 5), German (6/7), French (6), geography (5/6), history (as yet ungraded), mathematics (6) and biology (she has also studied chemistry (6) this year and would like to keep this up while away). Her current electives are sports, design and technology, art and drama. Her elective options for next year include psychology and business/economy, though it is unclear if timetabling will allow for this combination on her return to main-stream school.

FIS require that for her to be able to return to her school and re-join her cohort she must take the subjects that she would be taking next year through some kind of approved alternative source. It is likely that this will be with an accredited online US high school program, such as National University Virtual High School (NUVHS) or The Keystone School (TKS). The final decision about which program will be used has not yet been decided and will depend on the subjects required by FIS. Even without knowing these subjects at this stage, it is obvious that the successful applicant for this role must be able to support all US high school subjects.

The youngest student’s first language is German – both she and the oldest only started learning English about 3 years ago, and while they have an excellent command of the language, there is definite room for improvement, which in turn will help improve her grades across the board. Her writing style in particular can come across as a little immature, and will benefit from being sharpened stylistically and with a more extensive vocabulary.

As with most students, the youngest girl responds best to teachers who are kind, organised, and fair. She likes those who listen to individual students and take time to explain complicated concepts. She appreciates teachers who are enthusiastic about their subjects and who are willing to go off topic where appropriate in order to highlight an interesting fact or to build a deeper understanding of a given subject. She is very respectful of her teachers but does expect them to be of a high standard. She has experienced poor teaching in the past, and rather than criticising the teacher, she and some friends took the matter to the school principal who was able to put a greater support network in place for that particular teacher. While this highlights her ability to make room for positive changes in individuals, it is imperative that the successful Tutor for this role is already an excellent teacher as there will be limited opportunity for providing additional support.

The middle child will be completing grade 10 of the German Abitur (Gymnasium) school system this summer. Her Gymnasium does not make allowances for courses to be completed away from the school environment, and so to be able to go on this voyage she has had to take the courageous and difficult decision to take the school year 2016/17 out of school and resume grade 11 in September 2017. This time away from school is not a gap year and should not be seen be the Tutor as a period of less academic value than if she were at school.

While aboard the yacht, she intends to set the groundwork for her return to academia in September 2017 by starting the courses as if she were in school, with particular emphasis on German, maths, English and politics. Physics, biology and history will be future subjects of study and any Tutor able to offer any of these in addition to the first four would be welcome.

All three girls are mature and ambitious. They are hard-working, serious students who care deeply about their studies and will work hard to get the most out of this tutoring experience. Although there will be time for fun, and in many ways this is an opportunity of a lifetime, it is no less serious academically than it would be if the time was spent in school.

This role requires a broadly capable Abitur Tutor who can offer a range of subjects (i.e. German, maths, English and politics) to a good standard. The Tutor is required to be one of two education professionals who together can provide full home-schooling curriculum for both the German Abitur and US High School courses. A specialist from each system will be recruited to be the head of their curriculum, but both Tutors are expected to work together, sharing the teaching of subjects according to their own areas of specialism. For example, if the successful Abitur Tutor is a language specialist, then the US Tutor should be able to cover the sciences and mathematics etc. Some subjects are expected to overlap in the sense that both Tutors are equally able to teach them.

Both Tutors will need to be highly organised, excellent record keepers, and able to build solid working relationships both with each other, the rest of the crew and with the girls’ schools back in Germany. Although not mandatory, it would be a bonus to find Tutors who have musical ability, or those who can bring extra curricular activities or skills which can be shared and enjoyed by the whole family.

While on board the yacht, the Tutors and students will have the use of a designated schoolroom. Employing two Tutors reflects the serious academic ambitions of this voyage, and as such, a dress code for the schoolroom will be expected. The timetable itself is likely to be fluid – it may be that a topic is set for the day and is explored through multiple subject lenses, rather than delineating subject study hour by hour. The Tutors will work on a flexible timetable that takes into account their relevant strengths. There will be situations where one Tutor will teach two of the girls while the other teaches Spanish to the third, other situations where both Tutors will work with just one student, and even situations where both Tutors and all three girls may work together on various projects.

The voyage has been planned around a series of short sea passages, with lots of stopovers and some land-based time. The Tutors should be comfortable with the demands of travel as well as the challenges faced when living and working in a variety of different locations. There may be occasions when, for example, technology doesn’t work as well as it should. It is important to roll with these obstacles and not be fazed by them. The Tutors should incorporate as much of their surroundings as possible into the lessons of the day, taking advantage of their location to bring alive a history, geology or even mathematics lesson as appropriate, and inspiring and enthusing their students with the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake.

For the avoidance of doubt, Tutors are will be considered to be members of the crew, and not members of the family to be waited on by the crew. They should expect to have a small portion (up to two hours) of each day working on the yacht as crew, in crew uniform. Their crew work will be at the Captain’s discretion and will likely follow the interests of the Tutors where possible. For example, if one Tutor is interested in cooking, they may be assigned to assist the chef. If another is interested in mechanics, they may be required to assist the engineer. The tasks assigned will not be menial – the Tutors will have their professional status respected at all times.

This role requires a great deal of flexibility, as lesson plans and timetabling will depend, to some extent on location. As far as possible, a consistent pattern should be established, with periods of formal classroom study as well as activity-based learning. The client envisions 3-4 hours per day of activities with a mainly academic theme, followed by about 2-3 hours of more leisurely activities, preferably something physical, sporty or creative.

The Tutors are entitled to two consecutive days off per week, but should not expect these to occur at weekends or to be regular in their timing. They may not always have time off together, and the time off may not always be land-based. As far as possible the Client will try to give the Tutor at least a week’s notice of when their ‘weekend’ break will be, but the Tutor will need to understand this is not always possible.

Untaken weekend days that have accrued will also be compensated by a pro-rated payment in lieu. It is likely that the Tutors will have a period of approximately 3 weeks break over Christmas, but this is yet to be confirmed.

While at sea, it is probable that the Tutors will share their cabin with one another. The family is open to the possibility of a tutoring couple applying for the two roles, but feels it is more likely that two Tutors will be independently sourced. If this is the case, bearing in mind the accommodation arrangements, two Tutors of the same gender will be recruited.

There will also be periods of travel away from the yacht. In these circumstances, the Client will provide hotel accommodation that may or may not be shared with the other Tutor. All expenses for this, except for the Tutor’s own personal phone calls or use of hotel facilities (such as dry cleaning) will be covered by the Client.

The Client will reimburse the Tutor for all local public transport. The Tutors should not expect to have access to a vehicle for his or her personal use.

The successful candidate will be able to offer more than the minimum requirements of this position and will need to have been raised in a socially appropriate background. He or she will not only be an excellent educator, but also a good role model: educated and polished, with excellent manners and personal values.

The Tutor must be fit and healthy, a non-smoker. The family is very private, and the Tutors will be expected to maintain complete confidentiality both during and after their appointment.