Educating a Baby to Develop into an 'British Gentleman' – Does It Justify the Cost?

"A family located in North London wants to find an extraordinary and qualified educator to assist their youngest child on his initial journey to turning into an British gentleman."

When reading this advertisement, you might naturally overlook the term "initial stages" as mere figurative language.

However, it might be the crucial aspect of this unique employment listing, as it aims to find a teacher for a 12-month-old.

Hundreds of responses have already been submitted since the anonymous family published their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".

During the past few weeks, the post has gained notice in the news, with numerous wondering why?

Innovative Idea

The CEO, head and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their quest, said that in spite of initial doubt, he considered the plan "visionary", and "innovative".

When he consulted the family, he mentioned they understood the unconventional aspect of their demand, and how early in age their son is.

But, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already set in".

What precisely did the family refer to by "cultural bias"?

It's "all-encompassing", he answered. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".

He said the firstborn had picked up "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family told Adam they hoped to prevent this pattern to repeat itself with their new baby.

The intention: To bring in a British tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from the very start.

Natural Absorption

"A lot of the development at the outset here is kind of osmotic," explained Adam.

It's through this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will pick up the UK customs they want to impart.

He said the tutor needed to be someone who studied at "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".

"The instructor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he commented.

Expense Not a Factor

The family explained to Adam the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in horse riding, skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to shape the child in a wide range of passions.

More than that though, he said the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".

In the family's view, helping their son develop into a "British gentleman" will result in achievement and open doors.

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

However, despite all this instruction in "UK identity", might the child adopt alleged cultural influence from the international family he resides with regardless?

"Yes", replied the CEO. "The parents know this might not succeed, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he explained.

Impractical

Several in the education sector who express those doubts.

Peter Cui, chief executive of a tutoring service, who supplies private tutors, commented that "the journey of embracing two identities, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."

He wrote that he had relocated from China to the UK at the period of seven, and had been educated knowing and living dual heritages. He went on to learn at a prestigious UK institution.

"The notion that an individual can serve as a representation of UK identity, an individual who can somehow impart the characteristics of a English gentleman to a 12-month-old child, strikes me as idealistic and impractical," he commented.

"From my perspective, engaging a quintessentially English tutor from infancy will does not necessarily produce the goal they want.

"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and however I have been privileged enough to enjoy many of the opportunities they aspire for their son."

He continued: "The reality is, cultural identity cannot be forced from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."

Acquiring Englishness

Naturally, UK identity is something the CEO believes can be taught – and sold.

"I think the reality that the international society holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating