Current vacancy
Travelling Tutor Required - Summer 2027 - Shanghai, Singapore & Japan
Background to the role
A family based in Shanghai are seeking an exceptional Key Stage 2 tutor, able to teach across the curriculum but specialising in English and the Humanities, to work intensively with their nine year old daughter during the summer holidays. The role will be slplit across Shanghai, Singapore, and Japan, with the tutor travelling with the family.
The student attends a local Chinese school, where she is in Grade 4, with her instruction conducted in Chinese. Mathematics is her great strength. The Chinese mathematics curriculum is demanding and she thrives within it, working comfortably ahead of where her peers in the UK would be at the same age.
Her spoken English, listening and reading have a solid foundation as a result of her attending a bilingual kindergarten and a period spent living in Singapore, and she has recently developed a joy in reading fiction, currently working her way through a long fantasy series. Her written English, however, has progressed comparatively little over the past four years. She makes frequent grammatical errors, and her written work is not yet at the level of her English-speaking peers. She takes a two-hour online creative writing class each week, which the family feels is not sufficient on its own. English teaching at her school is negligible.
The wider curriculum is another area of focus during this engagement. History, Geography, Science, and the Arts are taught thinly and not at a level to challenge and sufficiently engage the student.
The student may move to the UK for her senior schooling, most likely at 13+, whereupon she would be applying to top-tier, selective, independent boarding schools. Beyond this, the family are considering leading UK universities for further education. The purpose of this engagement is to build, over successive holiday periods, the foundation in English and the wider curriculum that this pathway will require, with a particular eye on the demands of the 11+ and 13+.
The child swims and plays tennis recreationally. These activities are arranged separately and do not fall within the tutor's remit; her evenings are her own, and she generally spends part of them reading.
Duties of the tutor
English is the primary focus of the role, in particular written composition: grammar, punctuation, sentence structure and vocabulary, and the move from writing accurate sentences to planning, drafting and editing extended pieces in a range of forms. Comprehension and inference should be developed alongside this, so that the student is able to understand what a text implies rather than only what it states, retrieve evidence from it and follow an argument across several paragraphs. The main aim of the engagement is to bring her written English up to the same high standard as her abilities in other areas.
The student's existing love of reading is a considerable asset and should be protected and further developed. The family would like to see her read more non-fiction, with a strategy to achieve this developed by the tutor, perhaps by finding a topic in history, geography or science that excites her interest and desire to read and to write about, building from there.
History, geography, science and the arts should be taught in English. The family are explicit that they do not wish the tutor to be bound by the British Curriculum, with the ambition to surpass this according to the child’s ability and particular areas of interest. Extended project work is welcomed, as are museum visits and day trips, which also serve as opportunities to develop her English writing and communication. The family travel between Shanghai, Singapore and Japan during the holidays and the itinerary will be known in advance, so that the tutor can plan work which draws directly on the opportunities offered in each destination.
Mathematics does not form a core part of the programme, and the student's established Chinese methods should not be disturbed. There is value, however, in her becoming fluent in the language of mathematics in English, so that terminology such as perimeter and area, and the phrasing of English-language problems, present no obstacle. Singapore mathematics material and 11+ papers both offer a useful source for this.
The programme should be designed with the requirements of UK senior school entrance in view, without yet becoming an examination course. Initial assessments for international candidates typically cover mathematics, English and verbal and non-verbal reasoning, with the English divided between comprehension, often of texts written a century or more ago, and creative writing. An interview follows, which may range across general knowledge, history and science, and some schools may subsequently make a conditional offer based on school performance. Sustained work on reading, writing and written argument serves all of these at once. Past papers and examination technique become important closer to the time; for now the emphasis should fall on the underlying capability.
Lessons will take place Monday to Saturday, from approximately 9am to 12pm and from 2pm to 4pm.
Desired tutor profile
The ideal candidate will be highly experienced teaching the KS2 curriculum and a specialist teacher of English, with particular expertise in reading comprehension, written composition and grammar, and the ability to teach history and geography to a high standard. Science tuition is also expected, and Mathematics is desirable. A strong academic record is essential, including a good degree from a leading university.
Experience of preparing children for 11+, 13+ and UK senior school entrance will be highly valuable, as will experience of teaching children educated in another language and of bridging gaps between different curricula and school systems.
Beyond this, the quality the family value most highly is an authentic and kind, nurturing personality. Candidates who are sincere and enthusiastic will suit this engagement far better than those who rely on formality and strict rigidity.
The role will require someone with the organisation, experience and intelligence to design a bespoke programme that takes into account key British curriculum milestones and exceeds them where appropriate, depending on the student’s abilities and interests.
The tutor should be comfortable travelling with the family during the holiday periods, adaptable to a changing itinerary, and able to maintain a professional footing with the student alongside the warmth the family are looking for.
Contractual details
Duration: 8 weeks.
Salary: USD 2,800 per week, pro rata, paid monthly in arrears.
Hours: 5 hours per day Monday to Saturday, excluding preparation time. Provisionally 9:00am to midday and 2:00pm to 4:00pm with a break for lunch. Significant preparation is expected beyond these hours.
Days Off: Sunday.
Accommodation: An accommodation and food stipend of 1,000 USD per week will be provided to the tutor.
Travel: The tutor will be required to travel with the family. Flights provided.
Meals: Lunch provided Monday to Saturday.
How to apply
To apply, please email info@witherowbrooke.com with your CV and subject line "Singapore Travelling Tuition Role". Witherow Brooke are offering a USD 250 for a recommendation of a candidate who is subsequently appointed to the role.