The oldest boy is 8 years old. He is a bright, enthusiastic child who is receptive to teaching. He can speak English, French, and German, and can read well in French and English, and will benefit from some guidance on his choices of reading materials. Although he finishes tasks quickly, his writing is poor, and with exams on the horizon this needs to be improved. He will be taking admissions examinations for several elite English schools, and needs preparation for these exams.

He is outgoing and exuberant. He enjoys many sports and activities, including rugby, fencing, sailing, and guitar. He does well in these endeavors, and is very excited about them. He will be starting Spanish in September 2009.

The second child is a girl who will be aged 6 in December 2008. It is hoped that she, like her brother, also will attend an elite school in England. She is active outside her studies, enjoying ballet, piano, skiing, and fencing.

In contrast to her older brother, she can be timid. She takes longer to warm to people and needs constant praise and encouragement. It is hoped that the move from the French system with its paucity of encouragement will improve her confidence.

The third and youngest child will be 4 in January 2009, and will also attend a highly regarded school in England. Although not a significant part of the tutoring requirement, he is keen to do what his older siblings do and the Tutor will therefore be expected to spend some time working with him.

The Tutor will be required to help the two older children in their preparation for their school admission tests as needed. Since both of them attend day schools and have several after school activities during the week, the tutoring will need to be arranged to fit with these plans. Although much of their week is very busy, there is no school on Wednesdays, which should provide significant time for the Tutor to utilise.

The Tutor will also be required to help them with any homework that they have. Additionally, the boy should be encouraged to do other extra-curricular activities that will help with his English. This could take the form of investigating areas of interest to him, such as artwork.

Both of the older children will have entrance exams in December 2009 and the main period of intensive work on their English will take place during the summer in Normandy.

The Tutor will be expected to be available for some time in the evenings before the children go to bed to help with reading and being read to etc.

It is expected that the Tutor will be available for work for an average of 35 hours per week. As the exact details of the work that is to be done are not fixed, there is some flexibility within the overall parameters.

When in Paris, the Tutor will not usually be required to work during the weekday mornings, except on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The Tutor will be given Monday and Tuesday off every week in lieu of the weekend.

The Tutor will be entitled to a minimum of 9 weeks holiday per 12-month contract period. For the initial period of the contract this will be calculated on a pro-rata basis. The holidays will be taken at a time convenient to the clients and will be arranged in advance. This will likely be at the end of June and first week or two of July.

The family have a home in Normandy, which they visit often and for most of the summer. The Tutor should expect to accompany the family to Normandy and to use this opportunity to do more intensive work with the children.

A car will not be provided when in Paris. In Normandy the Tutor will be given access to a car.

The family live in a large apartment in central Paris within a few minutes walk of the Arc de Triomphe. The Tutor will be provided with two rooms on the top floor of the same building. One is equipped as a kitchen and classroom, the other as a living room and bedroom. There is a bathroom down the corridor, shared by the other residents of the floor.

When the family are in Normandy, the Tutor will have their own room in the house. The Tutor will have use of a kitchen and a bathroom separate from the family.

The Tutor should have a good level of French because they will need to be able to help the oldest boy with his homework, which will be in French. Also, they will need to be confident when taking him out around Paris.

The family have a small dog. The Tutor should be comfortable with pets.

This is either a 14-month position from the end of January 2009 or a 12-month position from the end of March 2009.