The student is a 10-year-old boy who is currently at a school in Moscow, following both the CIE and Russian curricula. Under the guidance of a superb class teacher, he excelled in year 5, but now in year 6 it seems the school’s drive has stalled. Given that the family have aspirations for the student to attend a top UK university, they can see that the British portion of his schooling is simply not offering an education at the requisite standards. A recent disappointment in an attempt at the 11+ exams has helped to highlight certain deficiencies in his current school life.

The student himself is a bright young man who already exhibits a love of learning and a certain curiosity about his world. He has a good standard of English for his age. He is polite, kind and has an excellent sense of humour. He is from a close family who value education and the humanities. They place great emphasis on communication skills – not just in the sense of learning languages to a high level, but also in terms of understanding cultural and linguistic nuances, customs and practices which all make for a smoother pathway in business or social interactions. The student doubtless has the nous and drive to excel academically, and the support of his family to help him on his journey.

The student has a penchant for music, but his current school is not good in this area and the teaching is poor. He plays classical guitar and has dabbled with the piano and music theory. This is certainly an area which can be built on and his musical abilities have scope for use in other areas of his education. It would be advantageous if the teacher can play an instrument so that the Tutor and student can play together.

In terms of sport, he plays tennis but has little experience of team sports such as rugby, cricket or football. That said, he likes sports, but has simply not had the opportunity to try many of these activities.

The student’s favourite teachers are those who are fair and calm, who have a deep understanding of their subject matter and are able to take the time to explain new concepts thoroughly. He describes his favourite teacher as having high expectations of the students, but also having the patience to support any weaknesses. It is a very caring attitude to education. In contrast, his least favourite teachers are those who simply bark out commands and expect the class to follow them to the letter without noticing those who are perhaps struggling, or whose techniques could be tweaked. He recognises that patience and mastery of their material are qualities of teachers who are able to win the respect and hard work of their students.

This role calls for an able, calm, easy-going and well-qualified educator with a sense of humour, and someone who can deliver the full spectrum of IGCSE subjects including the three sciences, double mathematics, humanities and English. Latin and perhaps one additional European language may well make the full complement of exam subjects.

The Tutor must have an excellent academic record and an understanding of the standards maintained by top-flight UK secondary schools. He or she should have a passion for learning and a deep-seated enthusiasm for sharing knowledge. The family are not aiming at mediocrity – the Tutor should be in a position to plan and deliver superb, engaging lessons which lead to the student achieving top grades across his exam subjects, and set him well on the path to Oxbridge success.

The current plan is for the student to continue attending the Russian portion of his school but to have him home-schooled for the English portion. Although year 7 is the start Key Stage 3, it should be possible for the Tutor to merge the work of Key Stages 3 and 4 to give the student a long, thorough run-up to his IGCSE exams. Academically, and particularly with 1:1 delivery, the student should be able to cope with the more complex material of KS4, and will likely benefit from the challenge. The goal here is to make sure that he is always being drawn to reach his potential, but certainly not pushed to reach it. Excellent teachers are able to create a rich medium in which a child can grow without needing to force that growth. He must be challenged academically, while also being supported and encouraged.

Given the flexibility of home schooling, the Tutor should aim to incorporate as much of the surroundings as possible into the lessons of the day, taking advantage of the 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 may also be some travel in this role, and this offers more scope for involvement of locale.

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. In addition to preparing the student for his IGCSEs, the Tutor must lay very firm foundations to help him ensure academic success. He or she should introduce effective study methods, as well revision strategies and stress management exercises that could help the student in his future life – both academic and professional.

It is anticipated that the Tutor and student will follow a standard routine of classes to fit around the hours of the Russian school. As yet, it is not known what these hours will be, but the Tutor can expect 4-5 hours contact time a day with preparation time in addition. The Tutor may also be required to accompany the student to extracurricular activities from time to time.

The Tutor should be an interesting and erudite individual, open minded, well-travelled and have experience of the UK private school pathway. He or she will not only be a superb educator, but also a good role model: educated and polished, with excellent manners and personal values. They should be reliable and trustworthy, flexible regarding work schedules, and should have a genial temperament. 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, astronomy or debate. A sound knowledge of music and the ability to play an instrument will be very well received. Knowledge of Latin, as will the ability to speak a second European language to a high level, will also be advantageous.

At this stage it is not known if the student will opt to study a third language at GCSE level (he will of course be sitting the GCSE in Russian) and should he choose to do so, it is not known which language he will study. There is an outside chance that he will want to learn Mandarin, a language which Tutors International can teach, mainly online (unless the successful candidate can offer it) but the Tutor should then be prepared to liaise with our in-house Mandarin teacher to coordinate timetables and so on. It may also be possible for him to sit one or two GCSE subjects a year early, but the Tutor should be aware that some universities like to see students complete a minimum number of subjects in one sitting to ensure students can cope with the pressure of simultaneous examinations. This means that he should only sit certain subjects early, and only then when the likelihood of achieving top grades is high. There is nothing to be gained from taking an exam early if waiting would bring a better grade.

The Tutor should have excellent English. It is possible that the student’s father will want to improve his own command of spoken English, and the Tutor should expect that some time will be given to that.

The Tutor is expected to work with the student around the hours he is required to attend the Russian portion of his schooling. It is likely that the Tutor will be required to work 4-5 hours contact time each day (Mon-Fri) with preparation time to be in addition. At the time of writing this Specification, the weekly hours are an average of 25 per week of tutoring time. The Tutor should anticipate that some weeks will be busier and therefore they should not be surprised if the average is sometimes around 35 hours per week.

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, music 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 Moscow, with all bills excluding the Tutor’s personal phone bills covered by the Client. This accommodation comes in the form of a small house near the Client’s property, in a forest suburb about an hour drive to the west of central Moscow. It is anticipated that this house will also be used as the school room, so the Tutor must keep the area clean and tidy, with all resources well stocked and suitable displays up to help inspire learning. The Client will cover any travel expenses associated with this role, as well as meals and food during any periods of travel.

A car is provided for the Tutor for reasonable local use, not limited to work-related journeys. The car will be available to the Tutor at weekends, but only for journeys inside the Moscow area. If the Tutor wishes to drive further afield, he or she should make their own vehicular arrangements. Fuel for personal use beyond work-related journeys is also the Tutor’s responsibility.

Meals occurring during tutoring time will be covered by the Client if the Tutor eats with the family. Otherwise all meals are the Tutor’s responsibility and expense.

The Tutor must be fit and healthy, a non-smoker, without visible piercings or tattoos. A medical check will be required by a candidate who is offered the role.

The Tutor needs to ensure that he or she has the requisite travel and health insurance, has received the required vaccinations, and has the necessary visas. Tutors International and the clients will assist with the procurement of a Russian visa.

The Tutor should must be comfortable with a CCTV recording of the main schoolroom if the Client chooses to install one.