Specialist Mentor/Tutor, EOTAS (Outreach) - Bromley (London)

Fixed-term, employed (PAYE), in person in the home and the community

We're looking for a Specialist Tutor to build a trusted relationship with a young person in Bromley who has been out of formal education for some time. Everyday demands are very hard for this young person, so this role is built on relationship first. At this stage the priority is trust, not teaching. Learning comes later, once they feel safe enough to take part.

This young person is kind, funny and curious. When the fit with an adult is right, trust grows and they engage. They love animals, particularly cats.

We would love to hear from someone with a genuine interest in gaming. At the moment, gaming is this young person's main activity. You would talk with them about the games they are playing and perhaps play together. They enjoy being the expert or consultant, so they might teach you a game they love. One day, you might even develop a game together.

We need someone creative. If the young person mentions something in passing, the right tutor picks it up in a gentle, low-demand way, without asking questions or expecting a reply. That might mean leaving a toy for the cats to play with, or some cat treats, for next time, with no instruction attached and with the family's agreement. We want someone who thinks of ideas like this naturally.

A warm sense of humour and a natural ability to build rapport are what make contact possible. We keep our language clear and kind. We avoid sarcasm.

Key details:

• Contract: Fixed-term, employed (PAYE), for the duration of the EOTAS package

• Hours: Visits will build up to 12 hours a week across five days, term-time only (39 weeks a year). You will be retained for 12 hours a week. One tutor can cover all 12 hours, or two tutors can share them

• Pay: £30.00 to £42.00 per hour, depending on experience, plus statutory holiday pay (12.07%)

• Also included: Travel allowance (45p per mile), a community activity budget and pension contributions

• Location: In person only, at the learner's home and in the local community, in Bromley

• Reports to: Case Coordinator

• Start date: We plan to begin on 2 November, once safer recruitment checks are complete. Interviews are planned for the week commencing 19 October

What this role is like day to day

We want you to know this before you apply, so that you can decide whether it suits you.

Engagement builds gradually. Early visits may involve little direct contact. Some days this young person may not feel able to take part. Their mood and energy can change quickly. That is where they are starting from. When a window opens, we want you ready to respond warmly and flexibly. Visits will build up gradually to 12 hours a week. You will be retained for those 12 hours. You are paid for your agreed hours when a visit does not lead to contact, in line with your contract.

Learning will not look like lessons. Worksheets, books and formal tasks can feel like demands, so we introduce learning indirectly, through interests, practical activities and things that come up naturally. Gaming, research and other interests can all become learning.

Success in this role is steady, kind and reliable contact over time. We measure it in small steps, such as a response to a note, a few minutes in the same room or sharing an interest together. We don't measure it in lessons delivered. As trust grows, you'll move gradually towards learning, working with our Case Coordinator and the wider team.

What you'll be doing:

• Visiting at the agreed time, calmly and predictably

• Making taking part optional. They don't have to come out, talk or do any work

• Using their interests, including video games and animals, to build contact

• Talking with them about the games they are playing and playing together in person

• Over time, exploring ideas such as designing or developing a game together, if they would like to

• Picking up on things they mention and following them up creatively and indirectly, for example by leaving out a prop or a toy for next time

• Offering choices gently, for example "I wonder if we could...", rather than giving instructions

• Giving them chances to be the expert or consultant, such as teaching you a game or explaining one they know well

• Following their lead on pace, topic and how long a visit lasts. Allow time and silence without pressure to speak

• Over time, using their interests to shape small, achievable learning tasks

• Supporting executive functioning, using assistive technology such as touch typing and voice to text where it helps

• Putting into practice the advice of our Educational Psychologist, Speech and Language Therapist and Occupational Therapist, with training and guidance

• Writing a short, factual report after every visit, including visits where they weren't seen

• Attending termly multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings and the annual review

• Keeping in regular contact with the family, including a weekly update

• Working alongside other professionals who support them, including those who connect with them through gaming. Your role complements theirs

How we work:

• This is an education role. You don't offer therapy, counselling or treatment

• A parent or carer is always at home during visits.

• You keep the space calm and low in sensory demand, following their lead on lighting, noise and space

• You never pressure them, bargain with them or use rewards to encourage them to take part

• You never use personal phones or personal accounts. You do not take photos or recordings of the learner

Safeguarding responsibilities

This role involves regular, direct contact with a child, so it is in regulated activity. You'll need an enhanced DBS certificate, including a check of the children's barred list, along with our full safer recruitment checks before starting. No one begins work with this learner, supervised or otherwise, until these checks are complete.

In practice, this means:

• Following our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy at all times

• Reporting any concern about their welfare immediately to our Designated Safeguarding Lead

• Keeping safeguarding and Prevent training current throughout your time with us

If the learner hasn't been seen for a week, we treat this as a safeguarding concern and review it with our Designated Safeguarding Lead. You'll tell the Case Coordinator the same day. This is about making sure they are safe. It is not about blame.

Our commitment to safeguarding

Love2Learn Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. We expect everyone who works with us to share that commitment.

We support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, many of whom are vulnerable. Their safety and wellbeing come before everything else we do.

We follow safer recruitment practice throughout our recruitment process, in line with statutory guidance including Keeping Children Safe in Education and Working Together to Safeguard Children. In practice this means:

• We ask for a full application form rather than a CV alone, so that we have a complete employment history

• We ask about any gaps in employment history and explore them at interview. This is routine and applies to every candidate

• We ask shortlisted candidates to complete a self-declaration about their suitability to work with children before interview

• We take up references before appointment and ask referees directly about suitability to work with children

• We verify identity, right to work and qualifications. We carry out an enhanced DBS check before any appointment is confirmed

• We carry out an online search on shortlisted candidates, covering publicly available information only, as recommended by statutory guidance. Anything that arises will be discussed with you

• We include questions about safeguarding at interview for every post, whatever the role

Our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy is published on our website and available on request. Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is the Principal, supported by a Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead. All staff complete safeguarding training appropriate to their role.

If you would like to talk through any part of this before applying, please contact us. We would much rather have a conversation than have someone decide not to apply because they were unsure.

What we're looking for

We'll ask for specific, concrete examples of the following at interview.

Essential:

• Day-to-day experience supporting autistic young people with PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance), who find everyday demands very hard

• Experience supporting young people with ADHD, anxiety and executive functioning difficulties

• Experience working with young people who do not attend school or who may not engage

• Comfortable when visits do not lead to contact

• A calm, patient and consistent manner

• A warm sense of humour, used gently and clearly, without sarcasm

• Creative and imaginative, able to follow up on what a young person mentions in a low-demand, indirect way

• Able to put into practice recommendations from an educational psychologist, speech and language therapist and occupational therapist

• Comfortable with silence and low verbal demand

• A natural ability to build rapport with young people

• Confident using low-demand, indirect approaches

• Able to adapt, pause or end a visit based on how they are feeling that day

• Clear, factual and strengths-based report writing

• Flexible, in-person working across home and community settings

• Suitable to work with children and young people, subject to an enhanced DBS certificate including a check of the children's barred list

Desirable:

• QTS or an equivalent teaching qualification, because learning will become the focus as trust grows

• A genuine interest in gaming. You play video games regularly on console or PC and can talk about them with knowledge and enthusiasm. You enjoy playing together and being taught by a young person who knows more than you

• A love of animals, particularly cats

• Experience in EOTAS or alternative provision

• A full, clean driving licence held for at least three years

• A roadworthy vehicle with business insurance

• Experience working alongside therapists as part of a wider team

• Experience using assistive technology such as touch typing and voice to text

Our recruitment process

We want the process to be clear. It also gives you and the family a real chance to find out whether this is the right match. Building trust is the heart of this programme, so it matters that everyone feels good about the fit.

• We review your application

• If we think you may be suitable, we ask for your references

• We invite you to a formal interview online with two members of our team. It lasts about 45 minutes. We agree a time that suits us both. We plan to interview in the week commencing 19 October, because we would like the role to begin on 2 November

• If the interview goes well, you have an informal meeting with the family, by video call or in person. A member of our team is there too. It is an open chance for everyone to ask questions and get to know each other. It helps make sure everyone understands what is needed and feels it is a good match

• While this happens, we complete our full vetting checks in the background, including an enhanced DBS check

• Once the family are happy and all checks are approved, we make a formal job offer, you sign your contract and we onboard you

• The programme then begins with a predictable, gradual start. The learner's Case Coordinator supports you closely throughout, with lots of involvement and support

No one works with the learner on their own until all checks are complete.

How to apply

Please state in your application that you're applying for the Specialist Tutor, EOTAS (Outreach) role in Bromley. We would like to hear from you as soon as you can.