The three children have been educated in good private schools near the family home. All three were a grade above their normal age group, and this position will need to be maintained while the children are out of school.

The family are warm and welcoming, and the children are polite, personable, and endearing. This combination makes for a pleasant and fun teaching opportunity, with willing learners and supportive parents.

A girl, aged 11
The girl would be going into 6th grade this September and has excellent grades. Her subjects are Pre-Algebra, Spanish or French, Science, English, History, Music, Art, PE, and Drama. The tutor will need to be able to keep her up to date with her peers at school, but do so through an integrated, experiential, hands on, and above all fun curriculum, free from the constraints of a standard school. The girl is dyslexic and needs particular help with her reading and writing, especially in her organization of paragraphs.

A boy, aged 9
The middle child would be going into 4th grade this year and follows a more general course consisting of Science, Math, English, Music, Arts, and Library (a reading class with written questions about the book). He particularly loves hands-on experiments that involve making a mess, and would thrive in an environment of fun practical activities.

A boy, aged 7
The younger boy would be going into 2nd grade this autumn and is currently performing below his grade level. This boy is quieter than his siblings and can seem to be a little distracted or isolated. He also has dyslexia and needs extra help with reading and writing, and with organizing his thoughts.

The two children with dyslexia receive specialised support through the Wilson Language Training Program and it would be helpful if the tutor is already familiar with this system or willing to learn it. Indeed candidates with this training will be preferred.

The formal nature of their schooling, and the academic pressure the children received from a young age, has led their parents to consider alternative ways for their children to learn. Freed from the requirement to attend school daily, the family intend to travel for extended periods, taking full advantage of the additional learning opportunities that come from experiencing other cultures, languages and environments.

The ideal tutor will need to be imaginative and creative, able to utilise the resources available in a variety of contexts, to develop cross-curricular, practical, exciting and entertaining opportunities for learning. The children should be encouraged to explore the world at large, to become autonomous learners who are curious about the world. However, this will need to be done with one eye on the children’s school curriculum, so that they can be integrated back into their class when their parents return them to full time school.

The tutor will need to highly organised, able to form a strong rapport with children, intelligent and worldly.

The ideal Tutor will have either Spanish or French.

Although the itinerary has not yet been formalised, the general plan is to visit Ireland, England, Italy, and Switzerland. The main goals of the travel are not simply to see the tourist attractions and stay at first class hotels, although this will almost certainly be one component. It is hoped that progress through Europe will be sufficiently unhurried that it will be possible to pick up some of the local culture, and to gain a taste for what it might be like to live in the countries along the route.

The tutor will need to enjoy travelling and not be fazed by any sudden or unexpected changes of plan. Indeed, it is essential that the tutor be independent and able to look after themselves, to be one of the responsible adults travelling with the party, rather than an additional burden on the client. The tutor must have sufficient experience to be able to handle the unexpected calmly, with reassurance and confidence.

Given the nature of the family’s travel plans, considerable flexibility will be required by the tutor to make sure that the goals for the travel fit well with the academic requirements of the position. Weekends may not always coincide with the traditional Saturday and Sunday, and once again the tutor will be expected to be flexible and understanding. The tutor’s expenses when travelling with the family will be met by the client.

Hours
The tutoring hours will average 35 hours per week, Monday-Friday. This includes preparation time and taking the children to and from activities. The exact times are not known at this stage and it is expected that the tutor will be flexible and accommodating in this respect, without clock-watching.

Accommodation
The client will provide furnished accommodation, for the tutor throughout the term of their contract. When travelling, this may be quite basic at times - depending on where the family’s travels take them - but it will at all times be appropriate and safe.

Holidays
The tutor will be entitled to at least 9 weeks paid vacation during the year, to be taken at times convenient to the client.

Driving
It would be helpful if the tutor holds a clean driving licence, and would be willing take the children to and from activities, or help with driving in Europe if asked.