The student is a bright and able young man who has both a passion and talent for motorsport. Through 8th grade, he attended a US international school in Singapore. His 7th grade results were strong but have slipped in 8th grade; as his commitment to sport has increased, his attendance at school has gone down and understandably his most recent academic report is rather more mediocre.

While he certainly has the skills and ability to excel in an academic setting, he needs his academic life to fit better with his training and competition schedule. Juggling his academic and sporting lives over the last year has undoubtedly been a challenge for the student, his parents and his school, and certain teachers have unfairly penalised him on account of his periods of absence. His most recent maths teacher, for example, has made no allowance for alternate methodology – if his work deviated even slightly from the teachers’ proscriptive systems, his work was marked as incorrect despite him often reaching the correct answer. This has been a frustrating experience, and he is clear in his dislike for overly critical, pushy, dogmatic teachers who tease and pick on their students.

In contrast, his favourite teachers are those who have a good sense of humour but who are firm and able to guide, inspire and enthuse without demanding too much of their students. He wants to do well in his school life and is willing to work as hard on his studies as he does on his sport. His future is by no means settled – he and his family want to pursue his sport as far as they can, but there is no current ambition for a move into higher levels; there is simply a desire to become as good as possible and to see where that takes him. His focus is clearly on his sport, but that does not mean that his academic profile should suffer, and with the right teachers, there is no reason why he should not achieve highly in both areas.

Five years ago, he presented symptoms associated with ADHD, and was prescribed Ritalin to help him concentrate. More recently he has come off the medication, and his concentration and sporting skills have shown a marked improvement. Any signs of ADHD seem to have dissipated as he has matured, although he does still have an occasional issue with some executive functioning skills and his trainer has described that there are periods even during an event when he appears disconnected. Rather than being related to ADHD, however, it is likely that this is a symptom of a young mind trying to cope with the competing demands of sport and study.

The student is a lovely young man with the ability to succeed across the board. He is charming, friendly, keen to please and prepared to work hard.

Any great sporting personality is supported in the background by a core team who work with the athlete to ensure their preparation is on track and that they are at the peak of their game as they go into each competition. The student is in the early stages of this process, and along with his coach and family, the Tutor would form a key part of his team. The role is very much, then, one of a team-player, someone who knows what their part is but works with all the other parts of the team rather than against them, to enable the desired outcomes.

The Tutor needs to be well versed in the US curriculum, able to follow NUVHS courses and plan, prepare, deliver their lessons to a high standard. They need to assess to ensure mastery in all areas of each subject before the student submits any work, making sure that he revisits any weak areas and fixes any gaps in his understanding before final assessment. The Tutor should be a natural communicator with a kind and caring disposition, and a firm-but-fair approach to their work. He or she should be eloquent, able to explain concepts simply and able to inspire with his or her enthusiasm for any given subject. The Tutor should not create a high-pressure environment, but equally should not be afraid to push his or her charge when needed. He or she should create a productive atmosphere, one rich with discourse and dialogue that nurtures the development of an inquiring and curious young person.

The NUVHS academic year begins in late July. The student and his mother will likely be based in Lincolnshire, England from early August to late November, and intend to focus on his academic work as well as his sport during this period. The pair will relocate to Singapore with the Tutor in late November. The student, his mother and the Tutor will then return to England around late February. There will be a Christmas period break from December 22nd to January 3rd. There may also be occasions where the Tutor is required to attend competitions across Europe with the student, but these will be on an ad hoc basis.

The student usually spends 2-3 days a week training, but is otherwise free for tutoring. Even on training days, he is often free from about 4pm onwards, although he may be tired by then. As much as possible, the tutoring should follow a standard timetable, but the Tutor should allow for flexibility as required by his coach. The Tutor will need to optimise the timetable and ensure to maintain the delicate balance needed to complete the required academic workload without overloading him. To this end, the Tutor should be creative and interesting with their lessons, using their surroundings as much as possible to form the basis of their lessons and ensuring that each new learning experience is an engaging adventure for the student. Workshops, theatre outings and museums could all be incorporated, along with trips to sites of historic importance and interesting lectures and talks from subject specialists.

The Tutor will work in a dedicated classroom, but it is yet to be decided whether this will form part of the Tutor’s accommodation or if it will be located at the apartment of the student and his mother. It may be that the Tutor needs to work with local schools to ensure access to specific lab equipment, so the Tutor must be good at building and maintaining relationships with a variety of people. Establishing a routine is also important, as is encouraging healthy habits, regular exercise, diet and mindfulness sequences, all of which will help to mentally prepare for both academic challenges and sporting competitions.

The student has been known to struggle with his concentration, and it has been suggested that he may benefit from the Orientation Counseling part of the Ron Davis dyslexia training method. This is of course just one option which may help, and it may be that by providing a private Tutor and therefore reducing external pressure, the concentration issues simply resolve by themselves. Regardless, this is one area where a good Tutor could really make a difference in both his academic work and in the sporting arena, and a Tutor who has experience solving this kind of problem will find themselves at an advantage.

The Tutor will need to combine excellent and inspiring teaching with superb record keeping and administrative skills. They should have a wide knowledge base and a range of interests that they can share with the family, and should look to extend the student’s breadth of knowledge by covering subjects as diverse as astronomy, engineering and art. The Tutor should act as a mentor as much as an educator, helping him to navigate the route from childhood to adulthood and providing guidance for him as he becomes more independent and mature. They will need to be an excellent team player, helping out wherever needed to ensure that the student and his team are as efficient and effective as possible.

The family plan to follow the NUVHS system with the Tutor for a minimum of two years, at which point they will assess their options and change tack as necessary. As the student may switch to a different education system at 16, the Tutor will need to ensure they have laid solid foundations for future study either with A levels, continuation of NUVHS and SAT exams or for the possible entry into an IB school. The Tutor must keep all of these options open while ensuring that the student develops his study skills and breadth of knowledge. With the 1:1 attention of a specialist Tutor, he will likely go from strength to strength, flourishing both academically and in his sport.

Over the course of the contract, the Tutor should expect to work an average of about 40 hours a week. He or she will be entitled to at least two consecutive days off per week, but should be flexible with their timing and prepared for these days to fall during the week. The Client will give the Tutor as much notice as possible regarding the timing of their ‘weekend’.

Given the nature of the sporting calendar, the Tutor should be prepared to adjust their academic plans to ‘front load’ courses in quiet periods over the winter, freeing up time for the student to concentrate on his sport during competition season. This means that the Tutor will likely find themselves working well in excess of 40 hours some weeks, but this will be compensated by a lighter academic schedule during the season.

Standard contractual vacation allowance of a minimum of 9 weeks per annum applies to this contract. As per the Terms, the timing of breaks will be at the Client’s convenience.

Accommodation in the form of a furnished apartment will be provided for the Tutor near to the family home in the UK. The Client will be responsible for all utility bills on this accommodation save the Tutor’s personal telephone use. The Tutor is responsible for the cost of their meals save for those taken with the student while tutoring. Suitable accommodation will also be provided in Singapore and any other locations where the Tutor may travel whilst on the sporting circuit. During travel the Tutor should expect that there will be some occasions where he or she will need to share a house with the Client.

While in England, if the Tutor does not already have a car, a small, probably used one, will be provided.

This contract involves periods of travel to Singapore, where the Client will cover the cost of flights and accommodation as per the Terms. While in Singapore, the Tutor will not have access to a car but will be reimbursed the cost of public transport for any journeys made for the purposes of tutoring. If the Tutor is asked to accompany the Client on any additional travel, the Client will be responsible for all the Tutor’s travel expenses and accommodation arrangements, but not his or her food or personal telephone usage except insofar as they are needed for tutoring purposes or take place during tutoring times.