The family have three sons, aged 13, 11 and 9, all of whom have been attending a prestigious school in Wimbledon. The family has lived in London and is now relocating to Monaco. The move has been arranged relatively quickly, and educational arrangements for the two other boys are therefore still being finalised. The family is considering international school options in the Monaco and Nice area, but places have not yet been confirmed.

The 11-year-old student will be the principal focus of this appointment. He is a talented and serious tennis player who will begin training at a prestigious tennis academy from September. Were he remaining in the British system, he would be entering Year 7. His new tennis programme requires him to enrol in an American-system online school and maintain strong academic results, specifically As and Bs, in order to remain within the tennis programme. The family does not, however, want his academic education to be limited to the requirements of the online school.

The student is an extremely well-behaved and pleasant young boy. In person he was reserved and did not always find it easy to articulate his thoughts, but he engaged thoughtfully when given time to consider questions. He described his preferred teachers as those who are supportive, encouraging and kind, have a good sense of humour, and make him feel capable of achieving the targets they set. At the same time, he recognises the value of being pushed and is accustomed to demanding coaching through tennis. He therefore appears likely to respond well to an adult who combines encouragement and humour with appropriately high expectations.

This will represent an enormous transition for the student. In a short period, he will be leaving his established school, moving country, beginning an intensive tennis academy, and changing from conventional classroom teaching to online education supported by a private Tutor. He understands that making the arrangement successful will require him to communicate openly with the adults around him, particularly if he is struggling or unhappy. The family is conscious that excessive academic stress would also be counterproductive to his tennis and therefore wants the educational and sporting elements of his life to complement rather than compete with one another.

The family is ambitious for the student both academically and athletically. One possible future pathway would involve applying to a leading American university such as Stanford while continuing to play tennis at a high level within the US collegiate system. Equally, the family recognises the inherent uncertainty of pursuing elite sport and wants to preserve excellent academic alternatives should his tennis pathway change, including as the result of injury.

Music also forms part of the student’s education. He plays the piano and has achieved Grade 3. His experience in both music and tennis suggests that, while he is not a lazy student, he benefits from adults who are prepared to push him towards goals he might not necessarily reach without encouragement and persistence.

The student’s brothers will not initially be the principal focus of this role, though this might change over time. The nine-year-old brother is described as relatively independent educationally and the parents currently have few concerns about his progress. Arrangements for the 13-year-old are less certain, with the family considering international schools in the Monaco/Nice area while hoping, at least for the moment, to maintain his education within the British system. It is possible that the Tutor could provide some support to the eldest boy, particularly at the beginning of the placement, although this will depend upon his eventual schooling arrangements and the tennis schedule of the 11-year-old.

The Tutor will take long-term responsibility for ensuring that the 11-year-old student receives an excellent academic education alongside the demands of elite tennis. The role requires considerably more than supervising online schoolwork. The successful candidate will become an important member of the team surrounding the student and will need to understand that academic performance, sporting performance, wellbeing, organisation and communication are closely interconnected.

The immediate academic requirement will be to support the student with the American online programme mandated by the academy. The Tutor must ensure that he understands the material thoroughly, completes work to a consistently high standard and achieves the As and Bs required to remain within the tennis programme. The Tutor should monitor his progress carefully and identify any gaps that arise from the limitations of online education or from the considerable demands placed upon his time by tennis.

The online programme should not, however, define the limits of the student’s education. His parents would like him, over an extended period, to work towards a full and academically rigorous range of IGCSEs. The intention is to preserve the type of progression offered by leading international schools, where students may move through a broad secondary curriculum towards IGCSEs and subsequently the IB Diploma. This will keep the student’s options open should his sporting or educational circumstances change and ensure that his academic development remains comparable with that of ambitious students in leading British and international schools.

The Tutor must therefore be an excellent academic generalist with the intellectual breadth to oversee a demanding secondary education. They should be comfortable operating across British, international and American systems and capable of planning several years ahead rather than simply responding to the next online assignment. As the student becomes older, the Tutor will need to identify when specialist subject teaching is required and help coordinate appropriate additional teachers or resources while retaining oversight of his overall academic programme.

French will be an important component of the student’s education, particularly given the family’s relocation to Monaco and his training in France. The family would like him to develop strong practical French and is interested in the possibility of completing the relevant GCSE or IGCSE comparatively early if his progress makes this appropriate.

The Tutor will need to balance academic ambition carefully against the realities of elite sport. The student’s timetable will increasingly be dictated by training, physical conditioning and competition. Academic work will therefore need to be organised intelligently around periods when he is best able to concentrate, while maintaining high standards and avoiding unnecessary conflict between his two principal commitments. The aim is not to make his education easier because he plays tennis, but to make it sufficiently flexible and well organised that he can succeed at both.

A particularly important element of the long-term role will be tournament travel. As the student progresses, the Tutor will be expected to accompany him to competitions and maintain academic continuity while he is away from his usual base. This will require an educator who is highly organised, comfortable travelling frequently, and capable of creating effective learning routines in hotels, tournament venues and changing environments.

The successful Tutor will also need to develop a strong mentoring relationship with the student. The ideal candidate will understand how to set demanding expectations without creating anxiety around mistakes and will help the student develop resilience, independence, self-discipline and confidence as both a student and a young athlete.

Communication will be central to the success of the placement. The student is undertaking a highly unusual and challenging path at a young age, and the Tutor should encourage him to become increasingly articulate about his own experience. They will need to recognise signs of fatigue, frustration or academic pressure and ensure that concerns are communicated early rather than allowed to develop. Equally, they should encourage the student to recognise and communicate what is working well. The Tutor will work closely with his parents, the academy, online school, tennis coaches and any other educational or sporting professionals involved in his development.

There may be periods, particularly before tournament travel becomes intensive, when the Tutor can provide some support to the older brother. However, the student must remain the primary responsibility of this appointment. Once tournament commitments increase, it is unlikely that a single Tutor will be able to support both boys effectively. The family has therefore discussed the possibility of ultimately employing two Tutors. This could potentially suit a teaching couple or two educators who work closely together while accepting that their respective responsibilities may regularly take them to different locations.

Above all, the family is seeking a Tutor who understands the scale of the opportunity and challenge the student is undertaking. The successful candidate should be academically accomplished, energetic, calm, resilient and adaptable, with the maturity to become a trusted guide over several formative years. They must be enthusiastic about sport without treating academics as secondary and academically ambitious without losing sight of the fact that tennis is a serious and demanding part of the student’s life.

The Tutor’s working pattern will be structured around the student's training and tournament schedule rather than conventional school hours. The timetable is therefore likely to vary considerably across the year. During periods of regular academy training, academic sessions will be arranged around his sporting commitments; during tournaments, the Tutor will need to adapt lessons to travel, competition times and recovery requirements.

This is a full-time role and the Tutor should expect approximately 40 hours of contact time per week. For the purposes of this assignment a 'working hour' is defined by any period in which the Tutor has direct responsibility for the student. Travel time is counted as 50% of working time. Preparation is in addition to working/travel time.

The Tutor will be entitled to two consecutive days off per week, usually taken during weekdays to accommodate tournaments and travel. The standard nine weeks of holiday per annum will apply, with holiday dates agreed in advance around the student's tennis calendar and the family’s plans.

The family will be based in Monaco, while much of the student's tennis training will take place in France. Suitable private accommodation will be provided for the Tutor locally. The precise arrangement is expected to take the form of an accommodation stipend allowing the Tutor to secure an appropriate furnished apartment or similar accommodation.

The Tutor will require a car because of the need to travel between the family’s base, the academy and other locations associated with the student's education and training. The precise vehicle arrangements will be confirmed with the successful candidate.

International and domestic travel will become an integral part of the position as the student begins competing more widely. The Tutor must be prepared to accompany the student to tournaments and potentially spend substantial periods away from Monaco. Appropriate accommodation will be provided during all work-related travel, and reasonable travel expenses will be covered by the Client.

The successful candidate should be physically fit, healthy and a non-smoker. An interest in tennis or experience working with elite young athletes would be advantageous, although the ability to provide a first-class academic education remains the principal requirement.

The Tutor must be an excellent organiser and record keeper. Given the potential complexity of coordinating online schooling, IGCSE preparation, specialist teachers, tennis training and tournament travel, careful planning and clear documentation will be essential.