Joanna Dunckley

“I fell into the world of teaching. I originally trained as a marine scientist,  then transitioned into dive instructing and wandered around the world for ten years doing that. When I returned, I retrained as a teacher and ended up working for ultra high net worth individuals on land. I did contracts in the Caribbean, Miami and the South of France – and when the company I worked for started getting more and more enquiries about teaching on yachts – I fit the bill rather well with my mix of marine and teaching experience.

The first big yacht job I did was six months around the South Pacific with two primary age boys. It was fantastic – I had my own, air-conditioned classroom on the boat and the boys were both great fun. We did academics in the mornings and then we’d do excursions and activities in the afternoons wherever we happened to be – whether it was hiking up an active volcano in Vanuatu or horse riding on the beach in New Caledonia. I taught them to snorkel and kayak too – it was a fabulous opportunity for us all.

I‘m not sure I could ever go back to teaching in a classroom. Tutoring is the best way to teach. You can move at the speed of the children, play to their strengths, personalise, and find out what makes them tick. When you’re in a class of 30 you can’t cater to the individual curiosities or passions or interests like that – in fact, you often have to shut down very interesting questions because you don’t have the time to deal with them. On board, you have the ability to go off on tangents and let children lead with what fascinates them. Often, our tutors work with the schools to ensure that the pupils are kept up-to-date with their peers and can reintegrate seamlessly. 

In most jobs, I use coins and currencies from all the different places visited to do simple mental maths and estimation of exchange rates. You can tailor material to make the most of your location so beautifully. I know of other summer roles in the Mediterranean where the clients wanted an Ancient Greek and Roman history teacher to make sure it all came to life. That’s a classic set up.

I’ve had so many memorable moments. One was a biology lesson on reptiles after watching sea snakes lay eggs on the beach. Another was stumbling on ant colonies on a beach in Australia and then spending the rest of the week learning about ants. And of course, languages are magical. In the Mediterranean, for example, you are able to take the kids ashore and get them to order their own breakfast and shop at local markets. They are learning without realising. 

Each job is so bespoke that you can’t really generalise about what it’s like. I am now sitting on the other side of it with Sea Tutors where I match the right tutors to the right families. Having done it for so many years myself I know what qualities you need. You can be a very experienced teacher, but there’s a level of integration with a family that needs to be understood; their values and personalities need to be matched up. We always meet the families in person before recruiting. We’ll chat to the children, go and see their rooms, maybe play a board game and then have a meal together. It’s a good way to understand the family and their nuances. 

As a tutor, you do have to set up a routine of some kind – you can’t be too willy nilly. The children need to know that this is educational and you’re in charge. And, of course, you do form very strong bonds – I am in touch with all of the students I taught. I check in with them on a regular basis and I’ve got a long list of birthdays to remember!”