The Bahamas (BAH-0717)

The students are 5 year old twins, a boy and a girl. They are typical for their age group – rambunctious, energetic and curious about the world in which they find themselves. They generally get on well together, but as with most children of their age, occasional sibling rivalries do surface. While squabbles do occur, they are generally easy to manage and don’t last long.

The twins are very active – they enjoy a range of sports including tennis and swimming. They lead a relatively outdoorsy life and are encouraged to play games with one another rather than resorting to electronic entertainment. They enjoy water fights and exploring their surroundings – they are not afraid to try new activities and develop existing skills.

Neither twin displays any SEN issues, but the boy does have a particular need for attention. Indeed, his quest for attention often comes at the expense of his sister who can appear cowed by his naturally louder personality. Giving her the time and space she needs to properly find her voice and establish her confidence will be essential – and helping the boy learn when to cede the floor will also be helpful.

They currently attend a local private preparatory school. While it provides a happy and comfortable environment for the children, it is possibly not as academically rigorous as the top-flight UK schools. As the intention is that the children move into the UK system in two years, it is essential that they start to receive the ‘gap-bridging’ support of this role to ensure that their academic foundations are solid and that they are used to being challenged before then. The boy, in particular, will benefit greatly from being pushed academically.

This role is a hybrid of full-time home schooling and after-school extension, including some periods of travel. It is anticipated that the children will be home-schooled for some of the week, but will continue to attend school as well on a part-time basis. In the after-school capacity, the Tutor is required to help ensure that any homework is completed to a very high standard and that the children fully understand the lessons of the day.

In the home-schooling role, the Tutor will need to work closely with the staff at the school to ensure that the twins cover the same topics as their peers. However, the Tutor should ensure that these topics are covered to a greater depth and to the standards of a good English prep school.

The boy will be required to pass admissions tests and interviews for his preferred UK schools in December 2018, in advance of the family’s return to the UK for September 2019. The Tutor will be responsible for his preparation. The girl has a place at a school, for which she does not need to pass any admission tests.

Given the dynamic between the twins, it is anticipated that the Tutor will work with the children individually at first. Their mother is keen to be involved in their education, so she will work with one child while the Tutor concentrates on the other, swapping regularly between the two. The Tutor will be responsible for providing guidance and resources for the children’s mother so that every hour spent being home-schooled will help prepare the twins for their future education, regardless of which adult is delivering the lessons.

While private tutoring opens the door for exciting and engaging lessons that use the environment as a classroom, there are serious academic aspects to this role. Both children will need to work hard to make up the differences between their local education and the demands of good British schools, and the Tutor will need to ensure that they lay solid academic foundations to ensure success as they continue their schooling. The parents have their sights set on eventual entry to very good UK schools, which are highly regarded, and competition for entry is intense. The Tutor should encourage strong study habits that will set the children in good stead for higher academic work, as well as providing them with a breadth and depth of knowledge that will inspire in them a love of academia for its own sake.

This position requires an energetic, enthusiastic and interesting teacher who has experience working with bright children of primary age. Ideally the Tutor will have either excellent Spanish or Italian and will be able to develop an educationally rich program of study which allows for project based learning as well as more traditional class-based lessons that consolidate school work and extend the children’s knowledge far beyond what is learned at school. They should aim to deliver an education that is very broad without increasing the depth of subject knowledge too far beyond what is age appropriate.

There will be occasions when the Tutor is required to travel with the family to alternative locations. For example, the family have rented a chalet in Switzerland for part of the 2018 ski season, and the Tutor will be expected to join them. The Tutor must be organised, self-reliant, and independent. Although they should establish a timetable, they should be prepared for flexibility within that framework, and should be secure enough in their plans to allow for unexpected changes to their location. Working as a Tutor whilst travelling with a family brings its own set of challenges, and the Tutor should be able to adapt and work around any complications or challenges that the travel may bring. They should be eloquent, able to explain concepts simply, and to inspire with their enthusiasm for any given subject. He or she should be a natural communicator with a kind and caring disposition, and a firm-but-fair approach to their work.

A dedicated schoolroom will be provided in the Bahamas and in all other locations where possible. The Tutor should be prepared for this schoolroom to form part of their accommodation.

The Tutor will typically work with the children for about 35 hours over 5 days each week, usually Monday-Friday, with preparation in addition. The timetable must be established with reference to the children’s 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 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 will be compensated by payment in lieu at a pro-rated day rate.

The Tutor will be provided with furnished accommodation in the form of an apartment within commutable distance of the family’s house. 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. The Tutor will be given access to some of the facilities of a private members club, but should not expect to be housed within the complex itself.

When travelling, accommodation will vary, with some locations requiring the Tutor to live-in with the family in a rented house, and other locations where the Tutor will have their own hotel room. The Client will always be mindful that the Tutor is a professional and should have appropriate privacy as far as possible.

In the Bahamas, a car can be made available for the Tutor to do local errands and shopping. In all other locations, the Client will reimburse the cost of public transport.

It should be noted that, in addition to the standard client confidentiality that Tutors International expects and requires from Tutors, the Clients are very private and do not wish their situation or plans to be discussed with anyone else, particularly in the small community in the Bahamas.

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.