An able and experienced educator is required for a full-time home schooling role starting in September 2017 or as soon as possible thereafter. The role involves tutoring one 12-year-old girl. The position is primarily based in Monaco and its close proximity, with the expectation of some travel.
There is one child, who will be 13 in December. Her parents have recently divorced, and she spends the majority of her time living with her father in Monaco. She is currently enrolled at the International School of Monaco and from September 2017 will be in Year 8. However, she has become disillusioned with the way in which learning is structured at the school and wants a more challenging educational experience that allows her to delve into subjects of interest in more detail. Her favourite subjects are currently maths and the sciences, but she enjoys most of the others as well, and achieves highly across the curriculum. For example, she is particularly interested in medieval history, but there is never enough time for her to explore the subject as deeply as she would like. She is a bright and engaging girl who already possesses the maturity that many students do not acquire until their late teens.
The student has a wide range of interests. She is good at sports, enjoys the arts and is a talented musician. As well as music theory, she plays the harp and piano and would like to learn to play the guitar next. She would also like to develop her skills in art, which she feels are quite good, but have room for improvement. The student has native English and speaks French and Russian. She has just started learning Spanish and is interested in learning another language, possibly Japanese.
The driving force behind this role is the girl herself, and she is excited about the possibility that home-schooling provides to expand her current interests and to discover and incorporate more.
She attends lots of extra-curricular activities and has a strong social network. She isn’t at all concerned about the potential social consequences of home schooling. She has several pets; a snake, a lovebird and a poodle. She enjoys caring for animals, and is hoping to persuade her father to allow her to have a rose haired tarantula. The Tutor must be comfortable around a variety of animals and ideally would share her interest in their welfare.
The student has an excellent sense of humour. She is bright as a button and genuinely interested in the world around her. She responds well to teachers who have high expectations and who challenge their students but who also use – perhaps slightly acerbic – humour as a way to motivate their class.
The student's long-term plans are not formed at all, and she has no idea what she might like to do in terms of academic pathways or specialisms. To ensure that no options are accidentally closed at this stage the plan is that she starts her GCSE courses in September 2017 and then in September 2018 she may add US courses with NUVHS, a virtual high school. This will give the option of following either the US or UK systems, or likely both, through to 16. After that, if she continues to be home-schooled, the options will be reassessed. By then it is likely that she will have a clearer view of what she might like to do after she finishes school.
As well as covering the subjects in the curriculum, the Tutor is expected to be comfortable with, and indeed keen, to explore peripheral areas with the student. They should look for opportunities to go into greater detail and to broaden her studies wherever possible. A culture of challenge and learning for the sake of learning is desired.
Ideally the Tutor should be able to offer additional teaching, such as languages, musical instruments, or other areas that are of interest to them. The ability to spend some time with the father improving his spoken French would be advantageous. There is also has a 9-year-old brother who is not involved in this appointment, but there may be some opportunity to include him in appropriate activities.
The family have several houses across Europe and beyond, as well as a large yacht. It is likely that opportunities for travel will increase as the family settle in to the rhythm of home-schooling, so the Tutor will need to be prepared to teach in different locations. This element of travel means that the Tutor will need to be supremely organised, an excellent record keeper and logistician. As the curriculum plans are by no means settled, the Tutor must keep adequate proof of her work and academic level in case she ever chooses to return to mainstream school.
The Tutor will need to be a passionate educator, interested in a wide variety of subjects and enthusiastic about sharing their knowledge. She is already thirsty for knowledge, so the Tutor must be prepared for significant extension work above and beyond the level of her peers. She is quick to learn, engaged with the material, and asks intelligent questions beyond the obvious. She will be a delight to teach.
The Tutor will typically work with the student for about 40 hours over 5 days each week, usually Monday-Friday, with preparation in addition. The timetable must be established with reference to her extracurricular activities and travel, and be flexible enough to accommodate unexpected changes.
The Tutor is entitled to two consecutive days off per week, but should not expect these to occur always at weekends or to be regular in their timing. As far as possible the Client will try to give the Tutor at least two weeks’ notice of when their ‘weekend’ break will be, but the Tutor will need to understand this is not always possible. The standard minimum 9 weeks (45 working days) of paid vacation allowance applies to this contract, with these breaks being taken at times convenient to the Client.
Any untaken vacation allowance or untaken weekend days that have accrued at the end of each contractual term will be compensated by payment in lieu at a pro-rated day rate.
The Tutor will be provided with furnished accommodation in an apartment nearby Monaco in France. The rent, utilities and internet on this apartment will be arranged and paid for by the Client. The Client is not responsible for the Tutor’s personal phone bills or meals not taken with the family.
When travelling, accommodation will vary, with some locations possibly requiring the Tutor to live-in with the family. The Client will always be mindful that the Tutor is a professional and should have appropriate privacy as far as possible.
The family also have a yacht and the Tutor should expect that some periods of tutoring will be on board. The Tutor will have his or her own berth, and will be considered part of the family (not part of the crew), during these occasions.
There is no need to have a car in Monaco. In other locations, the Client will make a car available to the Tutor as required, or reimburse for the use of public transport.
Travel with the student to enhance her learning is an important aspect of this job. For such travel, the Client will be responsible for all accommodation, meals and transport for the Tutor.
The successful candidate will be able to offer more than the minimum requirements of this position. He or she will not only be an excellent educator, but also a good role model, with good manners and moral values.
The Tutor should be fit and healthy, a non-smoker.