The oldest student is 11 years old. He is already a disciplined scholar and a fast learner. He has strong mathematical skills, is a clever writer, and he is developing a love of reading. He is very sporty and enjoys a range of athletic activities including football, skiing, basketball and so on. He is also learning the guitar which he is picking up quickly. He is a great team player and loves competing on a team. His class teacher has commended him for his inclusive nature, and he is clearly someone that his peers respect and look up to.

At home, he can be very driven. When he sets his heart on something, he can pursue it single-mindedly and with impressive and mature determination.

His favourite teachers are energetic and they make learning interesting through games and adventures. He dislikes teachers who are unfair and seemingly playing favorites. At heart, he is more of a country-boy. He isn’t a fan of big cities (especially London, where “it always rains and smells of smoke”).

At 8 years old, his sister is already showing promise as a natural scholar, leader and inspirational student. She is dedicated to her lessons, willing to work hard, and is well-liked by her peers. She has a fertile imagination and her kindness is without limit. Her desire to excel sometimes prevents her from trying new things. Her confidence in her own abilities and her willingness to take risks need improving – along with her spelling which is charmingly erratic. She also enjoys sports and is a beautiful dancer. She is currently learning to play the piano.

Her favourite teachers are gentle and patient. She likes those who can encourage rather than push their students. Her least favourite teachers are those who push for perfection above enjoyment – her dance teacher being a case in point. She enjoys the more technical subjects such as science and geometry, but also enjoys crafts, dancing, playing in the park and travelling. She would like to learn Spanish, and her favourite place is Hawaii.

The youngest is a 7 year old boy, who enjoys a special bond with his sister. He is a charismatic boy with a warm and infectious smile. Like his brother he has strong mathematics skills, but he also has a particular flair for the creative whether that be in the form of music, drama, fashion or art. He is a capable young man with a positive, confident attitude and an easy-going nature that allows him to join new groups and try new things with ease. He needs a structured routine to help him flourish, and improvements on his self-control, focus and stamina will likely produce excellent results.

His favourite teachers are patient, fun and kind. He enjoys writing, maths and word work, but does not enjoy reading. Like his sister, his least favourite teacher was a dance teacher who pushed the children too hard, and was overly intense. He enjoys games, making TikTok videos with his cousins, bike riding, trampoline and being playful with his sister.

Covid-19 has made it very difficult to make concrete plans for anything in the coming months, including education, and it is this uncertainty which the family are hoping to mitigate by engaging the services of a full-time tutor. At this stage it is unknown on what basis schools will reopen in September, so this role may be either a full-time home schooling provision or after school support, or a hybrid depending on how timetabling works with social distancing requirements, any positive cases in the school community, or any further waves of outbreak in London.

In place of or alongside traditional schooling, the Tutor’s role is to provide the family with a degree of consistency as they enter the next academic year. The Tutor should look to support them as they follow the American curriculum, helping all three children develop strong academic foundations and good habits that will last them a lifetime. The aim for this role is not only to provide a superlative education but to nurture a certain curiosity in the children which allows them to explore a full range of activities, subjects and specialisms, to find their passion and to let them achieve success and happiness – academically or otherwise – as a result of this journey.

As it stands, the children are enrolled at a school in London. While the school has been offering distance learning solutions, they are not sufficient. Assuming the children stay at this school, the family would like the Tutor to help deliver the content of the online lessons, and to extend the work so that they children remain enthused and engaged with their studies. Given the rate at which children learn with 1:1 tuition, it is likely that there will be plenty of time for the children to cover additional topics which extend their curriculum and increase their knowledge of the world. The Tutor will be able to develop this part of their studies, and is encouraged to introduce the family to their own particular hobby or passion. Astronomy, entomology, photography or indeed a range of specialisms that can be introduced as extra side-projects would be welcomed. Similarly, if the children develop their own particular interest in a given subject, the Tutor should look beyond the US curriculum to see if any other school system offers age appropriate qualifications in that subject.

Through detailed planning, the Tutor should help the children to follow a rich educational pathway, full of excitement and adventure, but with kindness, patience and understanding at its root. The Tutor should inspire the children’s curiosity and should encourage them to develop a love of learning for its own sake. The family are happy to combine the use of electronics in their lessons for academic purposes, but prefer their children to avoid recreational exposure, especially on school nights. The Tutor will need to respect this and use electronics in their lessons only where appropriate. That said, they themselves must be well versed with all that technology can offer and they are welcome to educate the children in the art of coding if appropriate.

The Tutor should have had an excellent education, and be well versed in education theory themselves. They will have demonstrable experience with the American education system, and a passion for a range of subjects. The Tutor should be a role model for the children both in terms of their education and also their character development. They should be polite and helpful at all times, mindful of their position in the family. They should be upbeat, friendly and interesting for the children and the parents.

The Tutor should explore the options available to them regarding supplementary online school modules, again extending the work set and aiming to bring each lesson alive with their enthusiasm for learning and their own curiosity about how things work. In either case, the Tutor must be exceptionally well organised and a good record-keeper. They must keep detailed notes about the work covered and to what standard so that there is a body of evidence available should the children return to school full-time and if they potentially apply to a new school post-Covid 19.

The family are currently unsure of their travel plans. They hope to spend the whole year in London, but depending on how Covid-19 pans out and what the travel restrictions are like, they may opt to return to the US at some point during the year. They have homes in California and Utah, and may opt to move between the two. Whatever their location, where the curriculum allows, the Tutor should look to incorporate their environment into their lessons, visiting local museums and art galleries, nature reserves and historic sites as and when virus guidelines allow. Tutors International will work with the Tutor and an immigration lawyer to procure a visa for work in the USA should the Tutor need one.

The family are very aware of their privileged place in the world and the responsibility they have to teach their children the value of ‘service learning’. Fostering both their entrepreneurial and philanthropic streaks, the children were recently encouraged to open their own craft store at the front of their house, with 50% of their profits being donated to charities of their choosing. This kind of undertaking could be used as the basis for more academic projects which combine research and analytic skills with creative efforts to benefit the charity, either through volunteering time, donating money that the children have raised or some other supportive mechanism. Respect and kindness should be two core values which run through the heart of every lesson.

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.

The Client is at liberty to request the Tutor take holiday at certain times providing they give the Tutor a minimum of two weeks’ notice.

While in London, the family will not provide accommodation for the Tutor. Their family residence in NW London is easily accessible by public transport, but if Covid-19 returns as an issue then an alternative travel solution will be provided (such as a private hire car service). In Utah and California, the family will provide furnished accommodation within a short driving distance, and a car will be provided. All utility bills for the property save for the Tutor’s own phone bill will be covered by the Client.

As yet it is unknown if the family will travel much over the next 12 months. Should they choose to do so it will likely be limited to their properties in the US and their base in London. The Tutor will accompany them for any change of location.

It is essential that the Tutor is a non-smoker and leads a healthy lifestyle. They will be responsible for their own health and travel insurance.

Should the Tutor need a visa for travel to the US but if it becomes impossible to get one, there may be material changes to the Specification including the sourcing of a temporary replacement Tutor and the reduction of salary (of up to 50%) to the existing Tutor. These changes will be discussed and agreed at the time should this situation arise.