The student is 10 and is the oldest child from a lovely family. He has a younger brother (age 9) and other siblings. For the past academic year, the boys have been home-schooled by a primary teacher (not through Tutors International). The decision to home-school was made because it was clear in July 2015 that the student was not on track to do well in his 11+ in January 2017, and the family thought that the closer attention that would come from a good private tutor would improve his performance. Unfortunately, the tutoring they received, while probably about the standard of a middling state primary school, has not moved the student on at the hoped-for pace. He will be intensively prepped for the January 2017 sitting of the 11+, but will need to be homeschooled until the end of the 2016-17 academic year to prepare him for entry to secondary school. It is likely that much of the material he learns prior to his exams will need to be consolidated afterwards due to the intensity of the pre-test prep that he will have done.

The student is a lovely boy who wants very much to do well. He is aware of many of his limitations in numeracy and literacy, but has not yet learned what level of effort is required to bring about the changes he and his parents want. The boys are interested in the world in general and have been exposed to a wide range of experiences through travel, sports, and the busy life of a large family. They have worked well in a home school environment without many of the distractions of a school, and the isolated learning has certainly not deleteriously affected their social skills. For the older brother, the focus has been on ensuring that he does as well as he is capable in the 11+, but without any expectations that he will be comfortable in a highly academic school. His younger brother should be more academically ambitious and will benefit from a more challenging secondary education.

The younger brother is more advanced at this stage, perhaps gaining from being a younger brother and from the earlier exposure to the closer attention that this kind of home education offers. He works hard and struggles with very little, so a good teacher is expected to be able to extend him well above where he would be in a normal school, especially after he becomes the main focus of the Tutor from September 2017 onwards.

From February to July 2017 the Tutor will work with the boys while the older brother finishes year 6. From September 2017, the Tutor will work only with the younger brother, who will need to finish his primary school work and to be prepped for his 11+ examinations in January 2018. It is likely that the older brother will need some support with homework from time to time and the Tutor should anticipate their role to involve both boys sometimes.

Although the younger brother is more focussed and able to work more intensively and with quicker grasp of new material than his brother, it is essential the Tutor see this is an opportunity to extend the boy rather than a reason to take things easy in any way. One on one with an able educator, the younger brother should be able to excel across the subject range, and the stress that currently surrounds his brother’s examination preparations should not be an issue when it’s the younger brother’s turn.

The Tutor should expect to work an average of about 40 hours a week during weekdays. He or she will normally be off at weekends and will always be entitled to at least two consecutive days off per week. In the event that the Client asks the Tutor to move their ‘weekend’ they will give at least two weeks’ advance notice.

Accommodation may be available as a lodger with the boy’s maternal grandmother. At the time of writing the Specification it is not known for sure if this will be an option.

No travel is expected as part of this job. If that should change, the Tutor’s full expenses and a per diem stipend will be covered by the Client.

If accommodation is not available, then the Tutor’s public transport costs from central London (or an equivalent from other locations) will be covered by the Client. The nearest train station is Walton-on-Thames; there is a fast train to Waterloo. If the Tutor chooses to drive to the place of work, then the Client will reimburse the Tutor for mileage at £0.50p per mile or the equivalent commute from central London, whichever is the lower figure.

It is essential that the Tutor is a non-smoker and leads a healthy lifestyle.