Tutor

Overview

An experienced and broadly capable educator is required to work primarily with two boys aged 9 and a half and 8, and also occasionally with a girl aged 4. The role focuses on the extension of the boys’ education, and will start in November 2016. The position will be based in Italy, and is a full-time after school support role. 

Students

There are two main students in this role, the boys aged 9.5 and 8. They have a younger sister, aged 4. The boys are being brought up in a very calm, considerate household which exudes peace and tranquility. They get on well with one another, and are flourishing in the nurturing environment fostered by their parents.

The older boy attends a bilingual French/English school where he is thriving. He enjoys a variety of after-school activities which include basketball, judo, guitar and theatre. He is also learning Mandarin. This multi-lingual approach will be useful as an adult, but at this stage he is displaying some of the common linguistic issues associated with multi-lingual children. His English vocabulary is limited, and his spelling and grammar are comparatively weak. He would benefit enormously from working with a native English speaker who could tidy up these areas, improving his performance across all English-based subjects. He is a thoughtful and reflective perfectionist - an artful, creative, and clever young man, who needs help to develop his visual learning style and apply it to the written word.

The younger brother is a warm, kind and easy-going boy with a vast appetite for extra-curricular activities. He had to try a couple of schools before settling at a local Italian state primary. He is happy there and is doing well, but his learning style does not always fit with the prescriptive, didactic methods used by mass education providers. The boy’s favourite teacher blends a range of subjects in her lessons, in a seamless, project-based package. The boy can happily spend hours learning in this style. A private Tutor should be able to tap into this, and help him to build and maintain a love of learning for its own sake. When working in English, the younger boy has recently displayed some traits akin to dyslexia. His spelling is very weak, and his reading is not on a level with his other languages.

At four years old, the girl has yet to experience full time schooling. Her parents believe that she is the most linguistically talented of their three children. This may be true, but like her brothers, she is exhibiting several of the language markers associated with multi-lingual children. She is a warm and friendly young lady who embraces opportunities for creativity and expression.

Role of the Tutor(s)

This role is initially limited to after-school and weekends, and is limited only by the Tutor’s imagination and abilities. The ideal candidate will have received a broad education, and will have a demonstrable interest in technology. The Tutor should have a natural curiosity for how things work, and the enthusiasm to explore this with the boys. The boys’ parents are very keen for much of the Tutor’s material to come directly from the boys themselves. The Tutor should help them both with any homework, and extend the knowledge of school based subjects, but the Tutor should also cover topics that are guided by the boys’ own interests, preferably from a technological perspective.

This role has serious academic undertones. The Tutor must ensure that he or she helps both boys to set the foundations for good study habits as they progress through their schooling. While the tutoring may have its focus set by the boys, content should be challenging, interesting and varied, incorporating a range of subjects as they fully explore each topic.

The Tutor must be a genuinely interesting and interested individual who can inspire a love of learning, while also involving the parents where appropriate. They should always have something ‘up their sleeve’ to keep the children positively engaged, and should be as comfortable teaching lessons outside in the world as they are in a classroom environment. The Tutor will also be responsible for part of the character education of the children. As the boys’ sister grows up, the Tutor should start to include her, with age appropriate tasks in the same topics.

The ideal Tutor will also be musically able, and will play at least one instrument well. Language skills are essential - the Tutor should have excellent mother-tongue English and fluency in at least one of Italian, French or Mandarin. The Tutor must be a non-smoker, be fit and physically active and lead a healthy lifestyle. The Tutor should enjoy a range of sports and pastimes, such as painting, art or art history and drama, chess, tennis or a martial art.

There is a fine balance to be found between enthusiasm and energetic teaching and maintaining the family’s calm, thoughtful and reflective nature. This role would suit an experienced educator - someone who has an understanding of pedagogic theory and practice as well as an insatiable appetite for knowledge. Both parents are well informed about education theory - they take the time to do their research, so it is important that the successful Tutor has a thorough understanding of current practices, and enough pride in their profession to keep themselves up to date with new research and techniques.

Hours, Holidays and Accommodation and Mischttp://tijobs.net/433ellaneous

The Tutor should expect to work an average of 30-40 hours per week, with preparation time in addition. The Tutor will be entitled to an average of two consecutive days off each week, though these will rarely fall on the weekends. Any untaken holiday entitlement will be compensated at the end of the contract, pro rata.

While in Torino, the Tutor will be provided with separate accommodation suitable for a couple with a child. The Client will cover all bills on this property, save for the Tutor’s personal use of the telephone. During rare periods of travel, the Client will be responsible for all the Tutor’s travel and accommodation expenses, and for all meals while the Tutor is accommodated in a hotel.

For a full job specification and instructions for how to apply, please visit; tijobs.net/433

EMPLOYER INFORMATION

Tutors International recruit private tutors for private clients. We are the only agency specializing in full-time placements. We offer an exclusive, bespoke service and employ outstanding educators for a range of educational circumstances.