Private Tutor (GUI 0420)

STUDENT(S)

The focus of this contract is the nine year old boy, a polite and welcoming young man who has been struggling in mainstream education due to his dyslexia. He started his schooling at an international school London but was soon moved to a specialist school for children with severe dyslexia. However, his condition is far from the most serious, and while his individual learning plan has helped significantly, it is felt that the school pitches to a lower level than he needs. The current situation with Covid-19 has also highlighted shortcomings in his education as the school has provided dull and uninspiring online work. 

He is a typical young boy with an abundance of energy. He is technically minded and enjoys finding out how things work, particularly from an engineering perspective, although his curiosity extends to mathematics and both the physical and natural sciences. He is fond of computer games and it would be helpful if he could have his screen time reduced. That said, he does enjoy a varied range of extra-curricular activities including chess and guitar, football and horse-riding.

He cites his grandmother as being his favourite teacher, and she appears to have instilled good foundations in his learning through her patient and kind perseverance. In contrast, he identified a grumpy tour guide as his least favourite teacher. The guide was surly and mumbled to the point that the boy couldn’t really follow what he was saying - his manner essentially ruined the experience. 

At 13 his sister is a diligent, intelligent student. She leans towards the arts and is currently struggling with mathematics. Some extra support should be enough to boost both her confidence and abilities. 

The students are from a warm and loving family. Their mother is Italian, and so both children are speak Italian. The family are involved in polo and other equestrian sports and have stables and training facilities on their grounds.

ROLE OF THE TUTOR

The boy is currently doing about six hours of online tuition per day under the direct supervision of his mother.  In the short term, the Tutor will take over from the mother and supervise these lessons. With a Tutor, the boy should be able to focus better and complete his daily online studies in about two hours. This leaves the rest of the day for the Tutor to work on other areas; reinforcing academic foundations, plugging any knowledge gaps or providing suitable extension work. 

The current plan is to have him complete this academic year with the work from the school and the support of the Tutor. During the summer holidays, the family may go to their north Scotland home, visit Italy or remain in situ. Either way, Tutor is will remain with them throughout the summer, providing lessons to ensure the boy is working at his optimum. 

In September, the family plan to home-school the boy.  The Tutor will be responsible for his education, and should design and deliver a comprehensive curriculum that keeps him up to — or beyond — the standard of his peers. The family expect him to re-join formal education from September 2021, but are open to longer-term home schooling. The boy has his name down for Eton at age 13, so the Tutor should try to keep his education is on track for this kind of school.

The Tutor should be inspiring and energetic. They should be knowledgeable about a wide range of subjects, brimming with enthusiasm, and able to turn even a simple walk into a learning opportunity. The Tutor should be hands-on and inventive — they should embrace practical, project-based learning and use these projects as a springboard for more formal tuition in English or mathematics. The Tutor should lead by example, inspiring curiosity in the student and helping motivate him to both ask and seek answers to his questions. He or she should encourage the boy to engage with the world around him and learn almost by osmosis through simply spending time in the Tutor’s company. 

The Tutor should have a range of interests, and their passion for these should be infectious. They should be upbeat and lively, kind and patient. They should keep a low profile in the family home but be prepared to join in if invited. The parents have expressed an interest in their son learning Latin, but it is not essential; He already speaks Italian and Spanish.

The Tutor should be an excellent record keeper, able to prove mastery of certain subjects should future school applications require evidence of the standard of his work. The Tutor should also have experience of SEN — particularly of dyslexia and any associated short-term memory issues. They should be able to help with school applications, or advise the parents which schools will best suit their son.

HOURS AND HOLIDAYS

The Tutor should expect to work an average of about 40 hours a week during weekdays. It is anticipated that of these 40 hours, 35 will be spent with the boy, and the remaining 5 with his sister, concentrating on her mathematical skills. The Tutor will normally be off at weekends and will always be entitled to at least two consecutive days off per week.

The Tutor is responsible for their own meals save for those taken with the student(s) — this is likely to be lunches during their working hours. 

ACCOMMODATION, TRAVEL, AND MISCELLANEOUS

There are three options for accommodation; a small furnished cottage about 10-minutes’ drive from the family home; live-in with the family (though in this case, there may be times when they have to share their bathroom); or the Tutor can commute - there is a train station nearby that the family can transfer the Tutor from/to.

There is little travel with this role, but for any that does occur, the Client will cover all associated costs save for the Tutor’s personal phone bills.

It is essential that the Tutor is a non-smoker and leads a healthy lifestyle.

The family believe they have already had — and fully recovered from — Covid-19, which means that they are assumed to be a lower risk of transmission.

For more information and details on how to apply, please visit:

http://tijobs.net/487