Educating a Baby to Become an 'English Gentleman' – Does It Justify the Investment?

"A family based in the northern part of London seeks an exceptional and skilled instructor to support their youngest child on his initial journey to turning into an British gentleman."

When reading this post, you might naturally miss the wording "initial stages" as mere figurative language.

Yet, it might be the most significant aspect of this unique position posting, as it attempts to recruit a teacher for a 12-month-old.

Many of responses have now been received since the unidentified family advertised their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".

During the past few weeks, the post has attracted attention in the press, with several questioning why?

Progressive Approach

A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their hunt, said that in spite of initial skepticism, he found the plan "forward-looking", and "innovative".

When he met the family, he noted they understood the unusual character of their requirement, and how immature their son is.

However, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already set in".

What exactly does the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?

It's "everything", the expert responded. "The way you eat, how you speak".

He stated the elder child had picked up "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family told the consultant they did not want this pattern to happen again with their new baby.

The intention: To engage a English tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from the very start.

Natural Absorption

"A great deal of the development at the start here is rather osmotic," explained the expert.

It's through this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will pick up the UK customs they want to cultivate.

He said the tutor needed to be somebody who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".

"The educator just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he added.

Cost Not Relevant

The family told the expert the successful candidate should preferably also have understanding of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.

More than that though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an tool by the time they are around three years old".

In the family's view, assisting their son become a "British gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and open doors.

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

However, notwithstanding all this guidance in "UK identity", could the child absorb alleged cultural bias from the international family he resides with anyway?

"Absolutely", replied Adam. "They understand this could fail, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he stated.

Impractical

A number of in the private teaching field who have those reservations.

Another CEO, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who also offer individual instructors, commented that "the development of becoming bicultural, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."

He wrote that he had moved from China to the UK at the time of childhood, and had been brought up experiencing and living both cultures. He continued to study at a prestigious UK institution.

"The notion that one individual can function as a living vessel of English culture, a person who can in some way impart the attributes of a UK sophisticate to a one-year-old child, seems to me optimistic and unrealistic," he commented.

"From my perspective, having a distinctly English tutor from early childhood will will not automatically create the goal they hope for.

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

He added: "The fact is, personal identity should not be dictated from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must come from within."

Acquiring Englishness

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

"In my view the reality that the international society regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating