Email usPrep School Teacher Required as Full Time Tutor - Global Travel
We are looking for a residential tutor for a family with 2 boys (ages 12 & 10) for a full time home-schooling role. The family travel extensively throughout South America, Europe and on their yacht, providing superb opportunities to offer true experiential learning.
Summary
An inspirational, experienced and independent teacher is sought as a private tutor for a family, currently based in Gibraltar. The plan for this role is to travel extensively worldwide, providing the children with a broad range of stimulating and exciting educational experiences. This is a 30 – 35 week per year contract until the end of the academic year, August 2018 but may extend beyond this for the right tutor.
The proposed salary will be £45,000 GBP per annum + comprehensive benefits package.
Background
The family have their family home in Gibraltar where the 2 boys attended school until August 2012 when the family took the decision to try home-schooling. The trial year proved to be such a resounding success that the family have continued to home-school their boys ever since.
The schedule for the family involves significant periods of travel throughout the year, with time spent in Panama, Gibraltar and Dubai alongside a variety of other locations in Europe and throughout Asia. Each year the family spend 3-4 weeks on a yacht as well, although the tutor may not be required for this period.
The family are keen that the boys are given focused teaching which will enable them to make enormous progress academically throughout the year, reinforcing basic skills and developing a love of learning. Everyone is conscious that the boys have academic, social and physical needs which all need to be considered and catered for especially as they get older. Having some regular travel structure has allowed for the formation of friendship groups in each location which enable both boys to maintain a social norm alongside their travelling lifestyle.
Teaching may well need to focus on the basics of Literacy and Numeracy skills but the second aim is to exploit the rich educational opportunities that such extensive travel will provide and enable the boys to learn at first hand from the diverse sights and cultures that they will experience.
The Students
The family consist of two truly delightful and engaging boys, aged 12 and 10. The boys have benefitted from a family who are totally committed to providing learning opportunities and this support is immediately apparent when talking to either parent. The boys are polite, articulate and very responsive.
Both boys have mild learning issues which manifest as dyslexia to varying degrees. This impacts their written work as well as their abilities to organise themselves which is an area that the current tutor has been focusing on.
By being in such a small learning environment means that the boys have a tendency to rely on support during their school studies and the eldest boy in particular, now needs to develop his independent study skills incrementally, ensuring that he is prepared for next steps in his schooling whatever those may be. Full school reports are available for tutors under an NDA.
The Role of the Tutor
The tutor will be working with the boys to provide a comprehensive, broad and balanced curriculum. This role requires a teacher who can provide the full range of a KS2 / KS3 curriculum subjects, alongside some specialists for sports, music and languages. The tutor will have a period of handover with the current tutor who has taught the boys for the last 5 years and will be able to pass on assessment data and full details of each boy as a learner.
At this stage it is unclear as to where the family will be in a couple of years’ time and so the curriculum choice is uncertain. To this point, they have been following the English National Curriculum but there is also an eye towards the US curriculum in case the family decide to settle over in the USA. Clearly the role does not require a strict adherence to a particular curriculum as the tutor will work on their key skills from where they currently are, but the tutor ought to ensure that the boys remain able to transition into a UK or US school in due course.
The family are clear that they want a tutor rather than a governess but the tutor must be prepared to enter into this post with an enthusiasm for the job; a willingness to be more than a teacher at times and become a respected friend to the boys.
The tutor will be required to act as lead tutor in this role which means that they will oversee and liaise with local tutors in some locations. For example, in Panama there are local teachers who teach the boys Spanish and will also continue to work with the boys during the lead tutor’s holiday periods. For the sake of consistency, the lead tutor will wish to ensure that the planning and delivery is cohesive.
Essential:
· A native English speaker
· Extensive experience of teaching the English NC & IB or US curriculums
· Some SEN experience and an ability to teach in a variety of teaching styles to suit the boys
· A willingness to be flexible and demonstrate a ‘can-do’ attitude
Desirable:
· A non –smoker
· Full clean driving licence
· An ability to travel by boat without sea sickness, as the role may include periods of travel on a yacht
Hours
During periods of routine, it is anticipated that the tutor will teach for 6 days a week, providing a flexible timetable to accommodate classroom teaching time and more active extracurricular opportunities. The working day may be broken up to allow for sport, other leisure activities and excursions which the tutor will oversee and support as required. The working day will include periods of planning and preparation time where the boys are occupied with another adult.
The family are generally able to plan a schedule for the next 8 weeks but there may be occasions when more impromptu travel is required.
The emphasis is on flexibility; finding a tutor who will not clock watch or feel aggrieved if one day is slightly longer than planned but will enter into the working relationship with a ‘give and take’ attitude. The family have always enjoyed very good working relationships with nannies and tutors and this runs on the understanding that they will be fair and generous to a tutor who will reciprocate with a positive attitude. The nature of this role means that there may be changes of plan at short notice and therefore the tutor will be required to adapt and embrace this as required.
Accommodation & Transport
The accommodation on offer varies in each location. For some locations such as Panama and Gibraltar which are longer term residences, the tutor will have their own apartment / villa near to the family home where they will also tutor the boys. This affords the tutor the privacy that they need whilst also ensuring that there is a separate space for the boys to learn in which makes it easier for them to focus. In other locations the tutor will be accommodated in a nearby hotel.
The family will pay for all travel when working, including flights home & to working locations, boat trips and other excursions.
Holiday
There will be no additional paid holiday for this role as the salary covers a reduced working schedule.
Term
The contract is due to begin on September 1st 2017, although it may be possible for the tutor to begin slightly earlier if they are available. The post is for 1 academic year initially but may extend if the family have a requirement into the following year. This will be something to discuss as plans for that next year are finalised.
All applicants will be required to sign non-disclosure agreements before the release of any further information.
Please contact Tutoring Futures to discuss the role further. To apply: send a CV + letter of application outlining your suitability to the role to emma@tutoringfutures.com