There are two main students in this role, the boys aged 9.5 and 8. They have a younger sister, aged 4. The boys are being brought up in a very calm, considerate household which exudes peace and tranquillity. They get on well with one another, and are flourishing in the nurturing environment fostered by their parents.

Though the family reside in Italy, the older boy attends a bilingual French/English school where he is thriving. He enjoys a variety of after-school activities which include basketball, judo, guitar and theatre. Along with his father and brother, he is also learning Mandarin, which means he is currently a student of four languages. This multi-lingual approach will serve him well as an adult, but at this stage he is displaying some of the common linguistic issues associated with multi-lingual children. His English vocabulary, for example, is limited for his age, and his spelling and grammar are not up to the standard of his peers in British schools learning a single language. He would benefit enormously from working with a native English speaker who could help to tidy up these areas of his linguistic development, which would then improve his performance across all English-based subjects.

He is a thoughtful, reflective child who strives to perfect all of his work. He is artful and creative, presenting as a very visual learner, and in the past has been referred to as ‘pictorially smart.’ The indications are that he is indeed a very clever young man, but he needs a little help to develop his visual learning style and apply it to the written word.

Like his older brother, the younger is a warm, kind and easy-going boy with a vast appetite for extra-curricular activities, though he has opted to learn the violin rather than the guitar. He had to try a couple of schools before finding one that he felt was able to push him sufficiently and this pathway led him from a local American school to an Italian state primary, which he enjoys. Even though he is happy in his school and doing well, his learning style does not always fit well with the prescriptive, didactic methods employed by mass education providers, and it is believed that he will flourish with the support of a private Tutor who can customise learning opportunities that better match his needs.

This belief is supported by the fact that the student’s favourite teacher uses a blend of subjects in her lessons, often combining history and geography with art, science and maths in a seamless, project-based package. The student can happily spend hours learning in this style. He is certainly not lacking in intelligence, but has yet to find a school which offers a consistently good match for his particular learning style. A private Tutor should be able to tap into this, and help him to build and maintain a love of learning for its own sake.

When working in English, the student has recently displayed some traits akin to dyslexia. His spelling is very weak, and his reading is not on a level with his other languages. Interestingly, these dyslexic indicators do not manifest when he is working in Italian, a considerably more phonetic-based language.

At four years old, the girl has yet to experience full time schooling. Her parents believe that she is the most linguistically talented of their three children. This may be true, but like her brothers, she is exhibiting several of the language markers associated with multi-lingual children. She is a warm and friendly young lady who embraces opportunities for creativity and expression.

This role is initially limited to after-school and weekends. As it stands, this wide-ranging position is limited only by the Tutor’s imagination and abilities. The ideal candidate will have received a broad education, and will have a demonstrable interest in technology. This interest can manifest itself in a variety of ways – programming, robotics engineering or another similar technological expertise would all be acceptable. The Tutor should have a natural curiosity for how things work, and the enthusiasm to explore this with the boys. For example, if a question about how a camera works should arise in conversation, it would be appropriate for the Tutor to source an old camera, which the Tutor and students can dismantle while learning about how cameras work. Every question is a learning opportunity, and the Tutor should embrace the boys’ curiosity at every turn.

Indeed, the boys’ parents are very keen for much of the Tutor’s material to come directly from the boys themselves. As this is an after-school, supplementary education role, the Tutor will have a little more freedom in their curriculum planning than if they were solely in charge of the boys’ education. The Tutor should of course help them both with any homework they may have, and seek to extend the knowledge of subjects covered in school, but in addition, the Tutor should cover topics that are guided by the boys’ own interests, preferably from a technological perspective.

This role has serious academic undertones. The Tutor must ensure that he or she engenders a love of learning in both boys, and also help them to set the foundations for good study habits as they progress through their schooling. While the tutoring may have its focus set by the boys, content should be challenging, interesting and varied, incorporating a range of subjects as they fully explore each topic. Continuing with the example of the camera, once taken apart, the lenses can form the basis of physics experiments, or the zoom mechanism could be used as an example of control engineering. Together they could explore the evolution of the camera – who first discovered the camera obscura, the history of photography, famous contemporary photographers etc. Once reassembled, they could use the camera to take some of their own photos, exploring composition and technique in the creation of art. Or they could look at the evolution of the camera from glass plate to film, print their own work from a negative and then move onto digital photography and how that works.

The Tutor must be a genuinely interesting and interested individual who can inspire a love of learning, while also involving the parents where appropriate. The Tutor should always have something ‘up their sleeve’ to keep the children positively engaged, and should be as comfortable teaching lessons outside in the world as they are in a classroom environment. The Tutor will also be responsible for part of the character education of the children, teaching manners alongside virtues such as gratitude, community mindedness, resilience and respect for others. As the boys’ younger sister grows up, the Tutor should expect to include her on occasion, giving her age appropriate tasks in the same topics.

The ideal Tutor will also be musically able, and will play at least one instrument well. In addition, language skills are essential and the Tutor should have excellent mother-tongue English as well as fluency in at least one of Italian, French or Mandarin – fluency in two or more would be beneficial. The Tutor must also be fit and healthy, enjoy many sports and pastimes both indoors and out, including painting, art or art history and drama, as well as sports and games such as chess, tennis or a martial art. The Tutor should note that there is a fine balance to be found between enthusiasm and energetic teaching and maintaining the family’s calm, thoughtful and reflective nature.

This role would suit an experienced educator - someone who has an understanding of pedagogic theory and practice as well as an insatiable appetite for knowledge. Both parents are very well read and are well informed about education theory. They are people who take the time to do their research, so it is important that the successful Tutor has a thorough understanding of current practices, and has enough pride in their profession to keep themselves up to date with new research and techniques.

The Tutor should expect to work an average of about 30-40 hours per week over the course of five days, with preparation time in addition. The tutoring is likely to be scheduled for 6pm-9pm on three weekday evenings, with additional contact time over the weekend (depending on the family’s commitments).

The Tutor will be entitled to an average of two consecutive days off each week, though these will rarely fall on the weekends. Any untaken holiday entitlement that has accrued will be compensated at the end of the contract, pro rata. The Tutor will be entitled to a minimum of 9 (nine) weeks paid vacation per annum.

This role is based in Torino, Italy. However, there may be rare periods of travel. During these periods of travel, the Client will be responsible for all the Tutor’s travel and accommodation expenses, and for all meals for any periods when the Tutor is accommodated in a hotel.

While in Torino, the Tutor will be provided with separate accommodation off the family property. The Client will cover all bills on this property, save for the Tutor’s personal use of the telephone. This accommodation would be suitable for a couple with a child.

It is essential that the Tutor is a non-smoker, is fit and physically active and leads a healthy lifestyle.