An experienced teacher is sought for a role working as a full time Tutor with an aspiring sportsman, aged 16. The Tutor will be responsible for the boy’s education for Junior and Senior years, following the US high school system on the NUVHS platform. The position ideally starts in early August 2019 or as soon as possible thereafter. The successful candidate for this role will certainly have knowledge of the US system, and ideally also of the British system, and will be able to teach a large range of subjects up to and well beyond 12th grade.
This is a long-term role that will likely finish at the end of July 2022. For this first year of the role, at least, the student’s school has agreed a leave of absence for 11th grade and will keep his place, subject to earning at least 6 grade 11 credits.
Although largely based in Lincoln, there will be periods of travel involved as the boy moves between locations and competitions in the UK and Europe and his familial home in Singapore.
The student is a reasonably able young man. His 7th grade results were strong, but slipped in 8th grade; as his commitment to his sport increased, his attendance at school suffered and understandably his latest academic report from that school was rather more mediocre. He subsequently completed 9th and 10th grade with an online programme, and gained 24 credits, all at A grade.
With the support of a Tutor, the student's academic life fits better with his training and competition schedule. Previously, juggling his academic and sporting life over the last few years had undoubtedly been a challenge for him, his parents, and his school, and certain teachers at the school had unfairly penalised him on account of his periods of absence. This job arises because the current Tutor needs to step down for personal reasons.
The student’s favourite teachers are knowledgeable and reasonable. One school maths teacher, for example, made no allowance for alternate methodology – if the student’s work deviated even slightly from the teacher’s proscriptive systems, his work was marked as incorrect despite often reaching the correct answer. This has been a frustrating experience for the student, and he is clear in his dislike for overly critical, pushy, dogmatic teachers who tease and pick on their students. In contrast, the student’s favourite teachers are those who have a good sense of humour, but who are firm and able to guide, inspire, and enthuse without demanding too much of their students.
The student wants to do well in his school life, and is willing to work as hard on his studies as he does on his sport. His future is by no means settled – he and his family want to pursue his sport as far as they can, but there is no current ambition for a move into other kinds of sport; there is simply a desire to become as good as possible in his current pursuit and to see where that takes him. His focus is clearly on his sport, but that does not mean that his academic profile should suffer, and with the right teachers, there is no reason why he should not achieve highly in both areas.
Eight years ago at the age of eight, the student presented with symptoms associated with ADHD, and was prescribed attention deficit medication when he was about twelve years old to help him concentrate better. After about one year, he stopped the medication, since it was unclear whether it had been helping him, and his concentration skills have since shown a marked improvement without any medication. Generally, signs of ADHD seem to have dissipated as he has matured, although he does still have an occasional issue with some executive functioning skills and can be prone to emotional outbursts when he is upset about something. His coaches have both observed that he sometimes lacks situational awareness during the cut and thrust of his sporting activities, resulting in poor decision making, has difficulty adapting quickly to rapidly changing circumstances, and has difficulty concentrating fully and consistently for the entire duration of the activity. Rather than being related to ADHD, however, it is likely that this is a symptom of a young mind trying to cope with the competing demands of sport and study.
The student is a lovely young man with the ability to succeed across the board. He is charming, friendly, keen to please and prepared to work hard.
Any great sporting personality is supported in the background by a core team who work with the athlete to ensure their preparation is on track and that they are at the peak of their game as they go into each competition. Along with his coaches and family, the Tutor is a key part of the student’s team. The role is very much, then, one of a team-player, someone who knows what their part is but works with all the other parts of the team rather than against them, to enable the desired outcomes.
The Tutor must be familiar with US curriculum, able to follow NUVHS courses, and plan, prepare, and deliver their lessons to a high standard. They must assess to ensure mastery in all areas of each subject before the student submits any work, making sure that he revisits any weak areas and fixes any gaps in his understanding before final assessment. The Tutor should be a natural communicator with a kind and caring disposition, and a firm-but-fair approach to their work. He or she should be eloquent, able to explain concepts simply, and able to inspire with his or her enthusiasm for any given subject. The Tutor should not create a high-pressure environment, but equally should not be afraid to push his or her charge when needed. He or she should create a productive atmosphere, one rich with discourse and dialogue that nurtures the development of an inquiring and curious young person.
The racing calendar affects the timing of all travel to and from Singapore. In the UK, the student lives with his mother and in Singapore he will live at the family home.
The student usually spends 2-3 days a week fully engaged in sport, but is otherwise free for tutoring. As much as possible, the tutoring should follow a standard timetable, but the Tutor should allow for flexibility as required by the student’s sporting calendar. The Tutor must optimize the student’s timetable and ensure to maintain the delicate balance needed to complete the required academic workload without overloading him. To this end, the Tutor should be creative and interesting with the lessons, using their surroundings as much as possible to form the basis of their lessons and ensuring that each new learning experience is an engaging adventure for the student. Workshops, theatre outings, and museums could all be incorporated, along with trips to sites of historic importance and interesting lectures and talks from subject specialists.
The Tutor will work in a dedicated classroom located at the house in the UK. It may be that the Tutor must work with local schools to ensure the student has access to specific lab equipment, so the Tutor must be good at building and maintaining relationships with a variety of people. Establishing a routine is also important, as is encouraging healthy habits, regular exercise, diet and mindfulness sequences, all of which will help the student mentally prepare for both academic challenges and his sporting progress.
As mentioned above, the student has been known to struggle with his concentration, and it has been suggested that he may benefit from the Orientation Counseling part of the Ron Davis dyslexia training method. This is of course just one option which may help, and it may be that by providing a private Tutor and therefore reducing external pressure, the student’s concentration issues simply resolve by themselves. Regardless, this is one area in which a good Tutor could really make a difference in both his academic work and in his sporting success, and a Tutor who has experience solving this kind of problem will find themselves at an advantage.
The Tutor will need to combine excellent and inspiring teaching with superb record keeping and administrative skills. They should have a wide knowledge base and a range of interests that they can share with the family, and should look to extend the student’s breadth of knowledge by covering subjects as diverse as astronomy, engineering, and art. The Tutor should act as a mentor as much as an educator, helping the student navigate the route from childhood to adulthood and providing guidance for him as he becomes more independent and mature. They must be an excellent team player, helping out wherever needed to ensure that the student and his team are as efficient and effective as possible.
The family plan is to follow an online high school system with the Tutor to graduation, and the Tutor must ensure they have laid solid foundations for future study, incorporating preparation for SAT exams and AP subjects for university entry. While it seems likely that the student will aim to gain entry to a UK university for his undergraduate education, the Tutor must keep all options open while ensuring that the student develops his study skills and breadth of knowledge. With the 1:1 attention of a specialist Tutor, the student will likely go from strength to strength, flourishing both academically and in his sporting enterprises.
Over the course of the contract, the Tutor should expect to work an average of about 40 hours a week. He or she will be entitled to at least two consecutive days off per week, but should be flexible with their timing and prepared for these days to fall during the week. The Client will give the Tutor as much notice as possible regarding the timing of their ‘weekend’.
Given the nature of the student’s calendar, the Tutor should be prepared to adjust their academic plans to ‘front load’ courses in quiet periods over the winter, freeing up time for the student to concentrate on his extracurricular activities during competition season. This means that the Tutor will likely find themselves working well in excess of 40 hours some weeks, but this will be compensated by a lighter academic schedule during competition season.
Standard contractual vacation allowance of a minimum of 9 weeks per annum applies to this contract. As per the Terms, the timing of breaks will be at the Client’s convenience.
Accommodation in the form of a furnished apartment will be provided for the Tutor in or near Lincoln. It is not known at this stage what the arrangements in Singapore will be. The Client will be responsible for all utility bills on this accommodation save the Tutor’s personal telephone use. The Tutor is responsible for the cost of their meals save for those taken with the student while tutoring. Suitable accommodation will also be provided in Singapore and any other locations where the Tutor may travel with the student. During travel with the student, the Tutor should expect that there will be some occasions when he or she must share a house with the Client.
While in England, if the Tutor does not already have a car, a small, probably used one, will be provided.
This contract involves periods of travel to Singapore, where the Client will cover the cost of flights and accommodation as per the Terms. While in Singapore, the Tutor will not have access to a car, but will be reimbursed the cost of public transport for any journeys made for the purposes of tutoring. If the Tutor is asked to accompany the Client on any additional travel, the Client will be responsible for all the Tutor’s travel expenses and accommodation arrangements, but not his or her food or personal telephone usage except insofar as they are needed for tutoring purposes or take place during tutoring times.
It is essential that the Tutor is a non-smoker and leads a healthy lifestyle. They must ensure that they hold adequate medical and travel insurance to cover themselves both in the United Kingdom and abroad.
The ideal Tutor will lead a healthy and physically active lifestyle that includes competitive sport, but it is preferable that he or she knows little or nothing about the student’s chosen sport.