Tutoring an Infant to Grow into an 'English Gentleman' – Is It Worth the Investment?
"A family located in the northern part of London wants to find an remarkable and experienced instructor to assist their most junior child on his first steps to growing into an English gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might easily miss the phrase "beginning" as just an expression.
But, it might be the most important part of this distinctive job advert, as it attempts to find a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of applications have now been sent in since the unnamed family advertised their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the advert has gained interest across the media, with numerous asking why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, head and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their search, said that notwithstanding initial doubt, he considered the concept "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they understood the unconventional nature of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
What precisely did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert replied. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the older sibling had picked up "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family informed the consultant they hoped to prevent this pattern to recur with their new baby.
The strategy: To hire a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the learning at the start here is somewhat absorbed naturally," stated the expert.
It's through this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will acquire the UK customs they aim to instil.
Adam explained the tutor had to be somebody who went to "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Money No Object
The family explained to the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in horse riding, skiing, creative fields and music so as to shape the child in a wide range of interests.
Furthermore though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son grow into a "English gentleman" will result in achievement and provide access.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he comments.
However, in spite of all this guidance in "Britishness", could the child adopt so-called cultural bias from the globally influenced family he is raised by anyway?
"Certainly", replied he. "They know this could fail, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Impractical
Several in the education sector who share similar reservations.
An education leader, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who provides personal educators, commented that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
He wrote that he had relocated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the time of childhood, and had been raised experiencing and embodying two backgrounds. He continued to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that one individual can function as a embodiment of English culture, an individual who can possibly impart the qualities of a British gentleman onto a infant child, seems to me optimistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"From my perspective, employing a distinctly English tutor from babyhood will does not automatically produce the goal they desire.
"I did not have such a tutor, and however I have been fortunate enough to experience numerous of the situations they hope for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, cultural identity can not be imposed from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, Britishness is something the CEO believes can be taught – and marketed.
"I believe the situation that the world holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating