Tutoring an Infant to Become an 'British Gentleman' – Is It Worth the Money?

"Parents residing in North London seeks an remarkable and qualified educator to support their youngest child on his first steps to turning into an British gentleman."

When reading this post, you might easily skip the phrase "beginning" as just a turn of phrase.

However, it could be the most significant part of this unique employment listing, as it seeks to find a tutor for a 12-month-old.

Numerous of responses have already been submitted since the anonymous family posted their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".

Over the last few weeks, the listing has gained interest across the press, with numerous wondering why?

Forward-Thinking Method

Adam Caller, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their quest, explained that notwithstanding initial scepticism, he viewed the idea "visionary", and "innovative".

When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unusual nature of their requirement, and how young their son is.

Nevertheless, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already become established".

What precisely does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?

It's "comprehensive", Adam responded. "How you eat, how you speak".

He explained the older sibling had adopted "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family informed Adam they wished to avoid this pattern to repeat itself with their younger child.

The intention: To bring in a UK tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby from the very start.

Osmotic Learning

"A great deal of the education at the beginning here is kind of osmotic," said the expert.

It's through this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will pick up the English characteristics they aim to cultivate.

He noted the tutor had to be an individual who attended "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".

"The instructor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he said.

Expense Not a Factor

The family explained to the expert the successful candidate should preferably also have familiarity of or interest in horse riding, winter sports, creative fields and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a wide range of interests.

Additionally though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an instrument by the time they are about three years old".

In the family's perspective, helping their son become a "UK sophisticate" will bring about success and open doors.

"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he comments.

But, despite all this guidance in "UK identity", would the child absorb alleged cultural leaning from the international family he lives with in any case?

"Absolutely", answered the CEO. "They realize this could fail, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as quickly as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he said.

Overly Optimistic

Several in the tutoring industry who express similar concerns.

Peter Cui, head and founder of an educational organization, who provides private tutors, stated that "the process of embracing two identities, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not designed."

The expert explained that he had moved from the Far East to the Britain at the time of childhood, and had been brought up experiencing and practicing two backgrounds. He progressed to learn at a prestigious UK institution.

"The notion that one individual can act as a representation of Britishness, someone who can possibly transfer the attributes of a English gentleman to a infant child, appears naive and impractical," he stated.

"Based on my background, employing a distinctly English tutor from early childhood will will not necessarily achieve the outcome they desire.

"I did not have such a tutor, and yet I have been lucky enough to enjoy numerous of the experiences they hope for their son."

He added: "The truth is, cultural identity should not be forced from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."

Buying Britishness

Naturally, Britishness is something Adam hopes can be educated – and commercialized.

"I think the reality that the global community views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating