The student is a delightful 13-year-old girl, who comes from a warm and supportive family. Throughout her primary education, she has been a diligent, able, and happy young lady. Her local school employed superb educators who inspired and enthused the whole class. The student regards her most recent primary teacher as a paragon of the teaching profession – he was kind, funny, engaging, had thorough subject knowledge and clearly cared deeply for the wellbeing of each and every individual student.

Sadly, the teachers who work at the student’s new secondary school have not echoed this dedication to their profession, and her transition to secondary education has been far from smooth. She spent one week at a secondary school before the first problems emerged. Changing school didn’t improve matters, and the same problems recurred – though perhaps to a marginally lesser extent. The family put this down to a number of reasons, not least of which is the nature of secondary education in Luxembourg as a whole. Secondary teachers in Luxembourg are often tenured, and as a result, there is no connection between the success of their students and their growth in the profession. The student’s current maths teacher is a case in point. He spends 50 minutes of each class writing on the board but never explaining processes or techniques to his students. He then sets a series of exercises for homework and expects mastery either through osmosis by considerable trial and stress, often with significant parental involvement, or local tutoring support. The students are left bewildered and flailing, and those who ask for help are generally met with a terse rebuke. Within the space of four months, the student has gone from loving and excelling in school in a classroom with an inspirational and dedicated teacher to a school filled by teachers who simply appear to have no interest in their students or their subjects.

This change of attitude from teaching staff is clearly damaging, and the student’s confidence has suffered significantly. Whereas she had previously enjoyed a very successful school career, she is now increasingly stressed, withdrawn and in danger of disengaging completely. This is a terrible situation for a student who has both the ability and desire to study medicine at Oxford.

Away from school, the student is a charming, bright individual with an excellent work ethic. She is polite, motivated and genuinely interested in the world around her. She has the drive and ability to excel academically, and will benefit enormously from one-to-one tuition from a caring and compassionate educator who will take the time to find the best way to help her succeed with her studies. She already plays the piano to a reasonable level, and is keen to take up another instrument – perhaps the saxophone. Her younger brother has also expressed an interest in learning a musical instrument such as the drums or guitar, but he has yet to start. She has several sporting interests which the current educational system does not allow for, including swimming and equestrian pursuits. She is also keen to try new sports such as tennis, fencing, badminton or rowing.

This role calls for an able, calm and well-qualified educator who has can deliver the full spectrum of IGCSE subjects including the Sciences, mathematics, Humanities, English and languages, preferably French and/or German. She or he should have an excellent academic record, a passion for learning and a deep-seated enthusiasm for sharing knowledge. The current plans are for her to be home-schooled to IGCSE, but the family has yet to decide if her home-schooling will continue to A level. The student is not aiming at mediocrity; the goal is get top grades in all subjects. They also want to keep options open in case home-education doesn’t work out well so that their daughter could make a competitive application to an international school before she starts the IB Diploma course in grade 11. The international school that is being considered follows the IGCSE course prior to the Diploma, so if she takes the same subjects as this school expects of their students, this should keep all options open. Tutors who are familiar with the standards required at IB will find themselves at an advantage. The Tutor must be highly organised and an excellent record keeper. He or she should be able to provide evidence of the work covered and to what level, should future school applications require additional assurance that standards have been maintained.

The student has set herself a high academic goal, with hopes of studying medicine at Oxford. Regardless of whether the home-schooling continues to 16 or 18, the Tutor will need to lay very firm foundations to help her ensure academic success. They should help her with tricks and tips for effective study methods, as well revision strategies and stress management exercises which could help in her future life – both academic and professional.

Given the flexibility of home schooling, the Tutor should aim to incorporate as much of their surroundings as possible into the lessons of the day, taking advantage of their location to bring alive a history, science or mathematics lesson blending subjects where appropriate to reduce repetition, and inspiring and enthusing the student with the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake. The Tutor will be responsible for planning a curriculum, setting a timetable, delivering lessons, and assessing mastery. There is a balance to be struck between maintaining a steady routine and being flexible enough to embrace any changes that the family make in terms of travel plans. The Tutor should be able to adapt her or his teaching plans at short notice, and should relish the challenges associated with teaching lessons in different surroundings. It is likely that the family will increase their traveling as they settle into home-schooling, and the Tutor should ensure they take full advantage of each new destination. In the short term, the Tutor may also be required to help the student’s younger brother with his schoolwork while the family travel – and there may be call for more long term tutoring in music – but by far the main focus of this assignment is the girl.

The Tutor should be an interesting and erudite individual, open minded, well-travelled, and well versed in pedagogic theory. 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. It would be a bonus to find Tutors who can bring extracurricular activities or skills that can be shared and enjoyed by the whole family, such as drawing, music or debate.

The family have dogs, cats and rabbits, and live in the countryside, so the Tutor must be comfortable working in an environment where they will come into contact with animals. There will be a designated schoolroom in the family home in Luxembourg. While teaching will take place within a clear and formal timetable of lessons, the Tutor should be prepared for a high degree of flexibility to accommodate changes in the family’s schedule, as well as for the possibility of travel abroad. This role is based in Europe, so it is essential that any candidates for the position have full rights to employment and residency in a European country.

It is possible that the student will not take to home schooling or that she will join ISL for the start of the 2017 academic year. Should this be the case, the role will change to an after school and weekend position serving the needs of both siblings.

The Tutor is normally expected to work with the student between the hours of 8.30 am to 4.30 pm with prep time in addition. There should be no need for additional homework unless there is something specific which the student needs to practice. The days should normally follow a structured timetable which includes regular breaks, opportunities for sport and other extracurricular activities. There may be occasions when flexible working hours are required, for example, to fit in with the family’s travel plans.

The Tutor is entitled to two consecutive days off per week, which will usually be Saturday and Sunday. The Tutor may need to be flexible in this regard as there may be the odd occasion when the Tutor is required to work either on a Saturday or Sunday, but in these cases, the Client will try to give the Tutor at least a week’s notice of when their ‘weekend’ break will be. Untaken weekend days that have accrued will also be compensated by a pro-rated payment in lieu.

The Tutor will be entitled to a minimum of 9 weeks (45 working days) paid vacation per annum at times convenient to the Client.

The Client will provide accommodation in Luxembourg. If the Tutor is married or has children, then the Tutor will reimburse the Client for the difference between a reasonably priced single-person accommodation and whatever the Tutor prefers. Likewise, the cost of utilities for a single person, except for the Tutor’s personal phone bills, unless the Tutor travels with her spouse and/or children. The Client will cover any travel expenses associated with this role, as well as meals and food during any periods of travel.

If the Tutor does not have her or his own car, one will be provided. This car is only to be driven by Tutor and only for reasonable local use.

The Tutor must be fit and healthy, a non-smoker, without visible piercings or tattoos.

The Tutor must ensure that he or she has the requisite travel and health insurance, has received the required vaccinations, and has the necessary visas.