Private Tutor

Private Tutor in Geneva, Switzerland

To start: As soon as the right candidate is found
Please note: There is no closing date for applications for this position
Student: A man in his 30s

Overview

A highly able and skilled educator is required for this full time tutoring position working with one student, a man in his late 30s. The Client left formal education in his late teens and went into business where he has been very successful. He has now decided that he would like to invest in himself, to learn English to a high standard, learn to play jazz piano, learn about classical music, opera, theatre, Shakespeare. Ultimately he would like to be able to study at Oxford, although he appreciates that this is a hugely ambitious goal which will take several years' hard work, and which is by no means guaranteed.

The role will be based in Geneva with considerable travel to a wide range of destinations throughout Europe and the rest of the world. The role requires someone highly intelligent, erudite, well read, musically accomplished, and both socially and culturally versatile. The role would suit a retired former head teacher of a renowned British private school or someone with comparable experience who is seeking early retirement.

Role of the Tutor

The Tutor's role in this position is exceedingly wide. Not only should they be personally able to teach excellent spoken and written English, but they must also be able to ignite a passion for reading and across the gamut of literature, including plays, poetry and all manner of novels. The Client wishes to learn to speak English so that his Arabic background is no longer evident. This means that his vocabulary and grammar require development along with his idiomatic understanding and application and appropriate meter and timbre. The Tutor's own spoken language should be of a high standard, without any geographical specificity.

This role is not limited to conversation and formal instruction. The Tutor should constantly be researching and planning a culturally rich range of musical and dramatic performance, visits to art galleries and museums, restaurants, sites of historical or contemporary interest - any place or activity that the Tutor thinks to be an essential part of this 'life-curriculum' in its most encompassing sense. The Tutor will need to help the Client understand their relevance within the context of his personal development.

The ultimate academic goal is that the Client becomes sufficiently qualified and able that he can make a competitive application to Oxford University. In order to achieve this ambition he will need to be prepared for the relevant examinations in a range of subjects (GCSE and/or A level) that facilitate such an application. He will also need to be given appropriate advice and time to practice the acquisition of the required skills. It is not known at time what subject he might like to study.

This is a demanding role, and so it is important that the Tutor is fit and healthy, with a huge amount of energy and joie de vivre. The Tutor must embrace the role and dedicate most of their time to it. Many evenings will be spent in social situations in addition to time in more formal tutoring. Candidates who feel that this is may be too isolating for them should not apply for the position.

Hours and Holidays

Typically the Tutor should expect to be available 8am-11pm, five days a week. The Tutor should expect that Friday and Saturday evenings will be spent with their charge. Obviously the tutoring will not be for 15 hours a day! But unless told specifically that they are not needed, the Tutor should remain close by so that tutoring could resume at short notice. Having said that, it is likely that the norm will be tutoring every morning between 8-10am, and two hours each afternoon. There should be plenty of time for preparation and planning during the prescribed hours. Evenings will usually be out at a restaurant, a concert or the theatre, or at social or business functions.

The Tutor will be entitled to two consecutive days off per week on average and should not expect these days to be at the usual weekend. There may be times when, due to travel considerations, the Tutor accumulates untaken 'weekend' days. If this happens the Tutor will either be given additional time off, or will be compensated by payment in lieu at the prevailing rate. Likewise, the Tutor will be entitled to nine (9) weeks off per annum at times convenient to both the Tutor and the Client.

Accommodation and Travel

The Client will provide suitable, safe, private, accommodation in all locations. In Geneva this will likely be a furnished apartment. In other locations it could be a hotel, short-term furnished let or apartment-hotel, berth on a yacht etc. The Client will be responsible for all expenses on these accommodations except for the Tutor's personal phone bills, or any personal expenses the Tutor incurs that are not work-related.

There will extensive travel involved in this position, which affords extra time for the Tutor and Client to converse or even to study, and means that the range for social or cultural opportunities is extended to these locations. When travel is involved the Tutor will usually accompany the Client. The Client will make all the travel arrangements but the Tutor may be asked to book seats at concerts or restaurants. The Tutor is also encouraged to suggest places that they and the Client could go, not only in terms of what is available that fits with the travel schedule, but also to places and events that they think might enhance the tutoring plans.

Miscellaneous

Ideally the Tutor should be a non-smoker and will need to hold a clean driving license. They will need to be open about travel to a range of destinations including in the Middle East and Africa. They should lead a healthy lifestyle.

The Client is likely to invite his Tutor to join him, his friends and/or his colleagues in more congenial or social settings where discussion of his studies or of related or more advanced topics might be the norm. The Tutor will need to be gregarious and engaging at this level.

For a full job specification and instructions for how to apply, please visit; www.tutors-international.net. Click the tab for 'adverts.'