Full-Time Bilingual French/English Private Family Educator FEATURED

Bilingual French/English Private Family Educator Full-Time | Three Children, Ages 5, 8 & 10 | Tampa, Florida | Live-Out | Travel Position

We are a family with three children, ages 5, 8 and 10, seeking an exceptional full-time Private Family Educator to help us create a highly individualized and enriching educational experience for our children. This is not primarily a nanny position, nor are we simply looking for someone to reproduce a traditional school classroom inside our home. We are looking for an outstanding educator, mentor and intellectual guide who is excited by the opportunity to help build something special: a small, highly personalized family school designed around the individual needs, abilities, interests and personalities of three children. The position will be based primarily at our family home on approximately six acres in the Tampa, Florida area, and will include travel with our family domestically and internationally.

Position Schedule

This is a structured, professional education position with clearly defined working hours. The regular schedule will be: Monday through Friday8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Weekends will be 100% off under normal circumstances.

We strongly value both family time and the educator having a meaningful life outside of work. We do not envision this as a household position where the educator is routinely expected to remain available during evenings or weekends. The educator will also have substantial scheduled time away from work throughout the year, including:

-One full week off for the Thanksgiving holiday

-Three weeks off during the Christmas holiday

-One month off during the summer

-Regular weekends off throughout the year

Our intention is to create a sustainable long-term position for an exceptional educator rather than a role that leads to burnout. There may occasionally be adjustments to the normal schedule associated with family travel, special educational experiences or unusual circumstances, but these would be exceptions rather than the normal expectation.

Living Arrangements

This is not a live-in position during our normal time at home in Florida. The educator would maintain their own residence and personal life outside of working hours. For an exceptional candidate relocating to the Tampa area, we are willing to discuss relocation assistance and other arrangements that could make the transition easier.

The primary exception to the live-out structure will be during family travel. When traveling with our family, the educator would ordinarily stay in accommodations provided by the family so that the educational program can continue naturally while we are away. All work-related travel expenses and accommodations would be paid by the family.

Our Educational Philosophy

We believe childhood should contain tremendous amounts of curiosity, reading, exploration, play, family time, outdoor activity and real-world experience. At the same time, we believe children are capable of extraordinary intellectual growth when education is individualized and they are given excellent teachers, excellent books and meaningful experiences. Our goal is not to recreate a conventional seven-hour school day. Instead, we want to provide several hours each day of highly focused, excellent instruction while preserving substantial time for sports, outdoor activities, reading, hobbies, family life and childhood. We want our children to develop:

-Exceptional reading and writing ability

-Strong mathematical foundations

-Intellectual curiosity

-A deep understanding of history and civilization

-Scientific curiosity and an understanding of the natural world

-Fluency in both French and English

-Confidence speaking and expressing ideas

-Independence and personal responsibility

-Good judgment and character

-A genuine lifelong love of learning

We generally prefer mastery over pace, depth over busywork, great books over excessive worksheets, and experience over memorization for its own sake.

The Children

Our children are currently 10, 8 and 5 years old. Our two older children are already fluent French speakers. Our youngest is beginning French, and one of our major goals is for all three children to ultimately become highly proficient bilingual French-English speakers. Because of their ages, we envision some subjects being individualized—particularly mathematics, reading and writing—while many other subjects can be explored together as a family learning group. For example, all three children might study Ancient Rome together, while the expectations are adapted appropriately for each age. So the youngest might listen to stories, draw pictures and verbally explain what was learned. The middle child might complete readings and write a short summary. The oldest might read more advanced material, conduct additional research and write an essay or presentation.

We love the idea of the children learning together while still progressing individually.

What We Hope Education Will Look Like

We envision a rich curriculum incorporating areas such as:

-Core Academics

-Mathematics

-Reading, Writing and Composition

-Grammar, Spelling and Vocabulary

-French Reading, Writing and Conversation

Each child should progress according to mastery rather than simply moving forward because of grade-level pacing.

Literature and the Humanities

We want our children exposed to great stories, literature, biography, history, mythology, geography and important ideas. We would love an educator who enjoys reading aloud, discussing books with children and helping them understand the larger story of human civilization. History should feel like a fascinating story populated by real human beings rather than simply dates that need to be memorized.

Science and the Natural World

We want science to include substantial observation, experimentation and interaction with the natural world. Our Florida property provides opportunities for gardening, plants, insects, wildlife, weather, ecology and hands-on projects. We want children who ask questions about the world around them and then learn how to discover the answers.

French Language and Culture

French is an especially important component of the position. Ideally, our educator will be fully fluent or native-level in both French and English and will naturally incorporate French throughout daily life. French should not merely be treated as a 45-minute language class. We would like portions of the day—and potentially entire subjects—to eventually take place in French. The objective is genuine bilingualism, including sophisticated conversation, reading and eventually writing.

Experiential Education

We want learning to extend well beyond books and the classroom. Museums, historical sites, nature preserves, farms, businesses, science centers, cultural events and travel can all become part of the curriculum. If we spend time in Montreal, for example, we would love the children to study the history of New France, Quebec, Canadian geography and French-Canadian culture and then experience those subjects firsthand. If we travel to Rome, we might study Roman civilization before and during the trip. We see travel as an extraordinary educational opportunity rather than an interruption to education.

Practical Life and Projects

We also value practical education. Depending upon interests and circumstances, this might include:

-Gardening

-Cooking

-Entrepreneurship

-Building Projects

-Art

-Music

-Public Speaking

-Financial Literacy

-Nature Study

-Community Service

-Family Projects

We want our children to understand that education is not something that only occurs while sitting at a desk.

Who We Are Looking For

The right person will be an exceptional educator first. We are open to candidates from a variety of backgrounds, including:

-Experienced Elementary School Teachers

-Bilingual or French Immersion Teachers

-Private Educators

-Governesses

-Homeschool Educators

-International-School Teachers

-Montessori or Classical Educators

-Educators Who Have Developed Individualized or Project-Based Curricula

Prior experience working as a private family educator or governess is helpful but not required. An extraordinary classroom teacher who has always dreamed of having the freedom to teach children without the institutional limitations of a traditional school may be exactly the person we are looking for.

The Ideal Candidate

Our ideal educator is:

-Fluent or near-native in both French and English

-An excellent elementary educator

-Intellectually curious

-Extremely well-read or eager to continually learn

-Warm and affectionate with children while maintaining appropriate authority

-Energetic and optimistic

-Highly organized

-Creative

-Comfortable outdoors

-Comfortable traveling

-Able to teach multiple ages simultaneously

-Capable of designing individualized curriculum

-Comfortable working independently

-Collaborative with parents

-Flexible without being disorganized

-Interested in developing a long-term relationship with a family

-Excited about creating something rather than simply following a predetermined curriculum

Perhaps most importantly, we are looking for someone who genuinely enjoys children and genuinely loves teaching. We want someone capable of laughing with a five-year-old, discussing a fascinating historical question with a ten-year-old, helping an eight-year-old through a difficult math concept and then taking all three outside to investigate something they discovered in the yard.

What This Position Is Not

This is not primarily a childcare, nanny or housekeeping position. The educator's central responsibility will be the education and development of our children. We do not want an outstanding teacher's time consumed with household cleaning, errands or unrelated domestic responsibilities. There may naturally be some supervision and care of the children associated with education, travel, excursions and the normal school day, but we view this person as a professional educator rather than household help. Likewise, we are not looking for someone to work mornings, continue supervising children through dinner, remain on call in the evenings and then work weekends. When the normal educational day ends, the educator's workday ends as well. We believe having these boundaries will help us attract—and retain—an exceptional professional educator.

Curriculum Development

We want our educator to have meaningful influence over curriculum. We will establish broad educational objectives together, but we do not want someone who simply waits each morning to be told what to teach. We are looking for someone capable of thinking deeply about each child and asking:

-What does this child need right now?

-Where is this child unusually strong?

-Where are there gaps?

-What books should we introduce?

-What experiences would bring this subject alive?

-When should we accelerate?

-When should we slow down?

-What interests can we cultivate?

-How can we make this child increasingly independent?

We want regular communication between educator and parents regarding progress, challenges, goals and future curriculum. The educator should have the freedom and professional responsibility to prepare lessons, choose materials, recommend curriculum changes and continually refine the program based upon what is working for each child.

A Typical Day

Although the educator's regular working hours will be 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., we do not expect seven straight hours of traditional classroom instruction. We envision approximately 3½ to 5 hours of focused academic and educational activity, with the remaining time incorporating reading, projects, outdoor learning, physical activity, preparation, lunch and transitions. A day could look something like:

8:00–10:00 Individualized Mathematics and Language Arts

10:00–11:30 History, Science, Geography, Literature or a Shared Interdisciplinary Subject

11:30–12:30 Lunch, Outdoor Time and French Conversation

12:30–2:00 French Instruction, Projects, Experiments, Art, Nature Study or Experiential Learning

2:00–3:00 Independent Reading, Writing, Project Work, Review, Planning or Individualized Instruction

The exact structure should evolve based upon the children and the professional judgment of the educator. We care considerably more about the quality of the education than the number of hours spent sitting at a desk.

Travel

Our family values the flexibility to travel, and the educator should be genuinely comfortable with occasional domestic and international travel. When travel occurs during the school year, we want the educator to accompany us when appropriate, and integrate the destination into the children's education. Travel might include time in places such as Montreal, other parts of North America, or international destinations. Rather than simply transporting the same worksheets from Florida to another country, we would love the educator to ask:

“What can the children learn because we are here?” History, geography, language, architecture, museums, nature, food, culture and local experiences can all become part of the educational program. During these periods, the educator would travel with the family and stay in family-provided accommodations, although appropriate privacy and personal space would always be maintained.

Compensation

This will be a highly competitive, professional salaried position commensurate with experience, education, language proficiency and qualifications. For an exceptional candidate, we anticipate compensation approximately in the range of: $80,000 to $120,000 DOE annually, putting the average at $100,000 per year. Potential additional benefits may include:

-Relocation Assistance

-Paid Vacation and Scheduled School Breaks

-Paid Holidays

-Family-Paid Work Travel and Accommodations

-Health Insurance Contribution or Stipend

-Professional-Development Opportunities

-Curriculum, Books and Educational Resources

-Museum, Science Center and Educational Memberships

-Resources for Field Trips and Experiential Education

We are willing to be flexible for an extraordinary candidate.

Long-Term Opportunity

We are not looking for someone to simply fill a temporary school-year position. Ideally, this individual will become an important part of our children's lives and education over a period of years. As the children become older, the program may evolve to incorporate specialist instructors in areas such as advanced mathematics, science, literature, music, art or other disciplines. The Private Family Educator could increasingly serve not only as a teacher but as the director and coordinator of the children's overall educational program. Our hope is to develop a relationship built upon substantial professional autonomy, trust and mutual respect.

Application Process

Applicants should submit the following:

-Résumé or Curriculum Vitae

-A Brief Description of Educational Background and Teaching Experience

-Description of French and English Proficiency

-Teaching Credentials or Relevant Certifications

-Three Professional References

-Compensation Expectations

-Willingness to Relocate to the Tampa, Florida Area If Necessary

-Willingness and Ability to Travel Domestically and Internationally

-A Brief Introductory Video

We would also like applicants to answer the following question in approximately 500–1,000 words:

“If you were given responsibility for designing an extraordinary education for three children ages 5, 8 and 10, what would that education look like?”

There is no single correct answer. We are interested in understanding how you think about children, teaching, curriculum, childhood and education.

The Opportunity

This position provides something that is increasingly difficult for great educators to find:

Freedom to Actually Teach.

No Classrooms of 25 Students.

No Need to Teach Toward Standardized Testing.

No Requirement to Move Children Through Material Simply Because a Pacing Guide Says it is Time.

There is also a clearly defined professional schedule: 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, weekends off, extended holiday breaks and a month-long summer break. There is an opportunity to get to know three children extremely well, identify their individual strengths and weaknesses, expose them to extraordinary books and ideas, travel with them, explore the world with them, and help build an education around who they actually are. For the right educator, we hope this will not simply be an excellent job. We hope it will be an extraordinary teaching opportunity and a meaningful chapter of their career.