The boy is an affable and friendly young man with a delightful, kind manner, and a keen sense of humour. He has a wide range of interests. He lives with his mother in their Hong Kong apartment and attends the Sarah Roe School. He is doing well at school and receives consistently positive reports from his teachers across all subjects. His favourite subject is Maths, and he enjoys computer games. He enjoys all types of music and has an excellent sense of beat and rhythm. He has taken lessons in a range of instruments including harp, violin and drums, has learned several songs on the piano, and would love to try his hand conducting. He is well travelled and loves to cook. He enjoys watching people and does not have a bad word to say about anyone, except for some children at his school whose own behaviours can be hard for the school to manage.

He was born with a range of complex physiological issues and a global developmental delay, and is currently operating at an estimated age of 8. He has congenital heart disease that has required two surgeries to replace the tricuspid valve, the most recent of which was in May 2009. He also has kidney problems and constant esotropia at near and far. Due to the extensive medical intervention required, he did not really start learning anything normally taught in schools until he was 5. Despite all this, he has remained positive, due significantly to the support and loving care from his mother.

He continues to receive occupational and speech therapy at school and privately. He is tutored in Maths, English instruction, and Piano for a few hours each week. The combination of extensive support that he has received from all quarters has meant that he has exceeded the expectations of many of the professionals associated with his learning and care.

Although he is doing well, there is a clear sense that the limitations of the schools in Hong Kong and the professionals involved at the moment are beginning to show. A Tutor is now being sought to ensure that progress continues to accelerate and that his development across all areas of his life is managed in a holistic and cross party manner. In addition, as he goes through adolescence, the relative absence of his father in his life means that he will benefit from the role model and mentor aspects of the close company of a Tutor dedicated to his educational, social and physical development.

Currently he attends his special school five days a week. The Tutor will allow the parents greater flexibility and greater advance for him than the current opportunities offer. For example, it is expected that he will be home-schooled by the Tutor 2-3 days per week. When the Tutor is working all day with him, this time should be used to practise the key skills of reading, writing, speaking and maths, and to incorporate sports and physical development. He is quite lazy at the moment, avoiding even short walks when he can, and needs to build up strength, especially in his legs. He loves bowling and swimming and wants to become strong enough to ice-skate. Obviously consideration needs to be given to his underlying health issues, but physical exercise is as important an aspect of the tutoring role as any other. When the Tutor works after school with him, this time should be used to reinforce schoolwork and to expand his vocabulary, work on his speech development, and support the work of his other therapists as per their advice.

One concern is that he not be isolated from other young people. With this in mind there will be times when the Tutor will be asked to include up to 2 more students in the tutoring or activity scheme.

It is envisaged that he will receive a further 2-3 years of schooling which will gradually transition into teaching him self-sufficiency and self-confidence. It is hoped that one day he will able to live by himself. The tutorial role in this respect is not straightforward to define, but obviously includes such subtleties as teaching him how to avoid dangerous situations, choose his friends, use his time wisely, and look after and care for himself in general.

The role will suit a well-qualified and experienced person with a buoyant and upbeat personality. He or she will need to be patient and persistent without being strict. He or she will also need to be familiar with the primary curriculum and understand child development, both inside and outside the classroom.

In addition, the Tutor must value the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. The student eats a low salt and organic diet and the Tutor will need to support and reinforce this family decision - fortunately for all concerned the student does not like sweets, soda, chips, or fast food!

It is important that the Tutor is sensitive about Chinese culture and customs in general, and opportunities to integrate this into the work that the Tutor does with him should be taken. The Tutor need not be an expert in this regard as his mother will be responsible for ensuring teaching the customs and traditions.

It is also essential that the Tutor is comfortable with pets. The family have two dogs at home, but this is only a small part of their deep love for all animals.

The Tutor will normally work a 45-hour week, over 5 days. The precise nature of the assignment of time will be fine-tuned once the position starts, but no day will ever exceed 12 hours. Time needed for preparation will be in addition to this.

The Tutor will not usually be entitled to statutory school holidays.

When the mother is travelling and out of town, the student stays with his father. There may be occasions when both of his parents are away and on these occasions the Tutor will be expected to stay with the boy overnight. There will not be more than 20 such overnights per contract term.

The Tutor will be entitled to 2 consecutive days off per week but at present it is not known which two days this will be - it will almost certainly not be during the standard weekends. His parents understand that it would be best to follow a regular pattern and will try to adhere to a fixed schedule, but there may be times when this is not possible, and the Tutor is expected to be flexible in this regard.

The Tutor will be entitled to a minimum of nine weeks paid vacation per annum at times convenient to the Client. Further, as the Tutor is needed the most during the vacation periods the Tutor should anticipate that his vacation will need to be taken at other times.

The Client will provide a furnished apartment close to the family home. If this accommodation is a fully serviced apartment the Client will be responsible for all bills for this apartment with the exception of private phone calls.

If this is not a serviced apartment, the Client will provide an additional stipend to the Tutor to cover the bills, but the Tutor will be responsible for making sure these bills are paid on time.

The Client will pay for the first outward and final return travel, and one intermediate flight per contract term. All flights will be at economy class.

Because of the location in Hong Kong it is impractical to provide the Tutor with a car. The Tutor should expect to use local public transport when needed, or local taxis, which are not expensive. From time to time, when arrangements allow, the Client may be able to make her car and driver available to the Tutor, but this is by no means to be expected by the Tutor unless taking the student to and from an activity.

If the Tutor is invited to travel with the family the Client will meet their expenses in full.

The Client is considering moving to London for all or part of the year. Should this happen, the Tutor will remain responsible for covering the costs of their own transport to and from work.

The accommodation will suit a single person or a couple. However, the cost of airfares for the spouse will not be covered if the Client travels and wishes to take the Tutor.

Applicants are reminded that they are applying for a role in China and that they will need to qualify for an appropriate visa. It is essential that the Tutor understands, respects, and adheres to the code of conduct in force in China. Shortlisted candidates will need to pass a medical exam and provide the Company and Client with the results of blood tests that prove that they are negative for TB and HIV/AIDS, and that proves that they are not regular users of any recreational drugs.