Coaching an Infant to Become an 'British Gentleman' – Is It Worth the Investment?
"Parents residing in north London is looking for an extraordinary and qualified educator to support their smallest child on his early path to turning into an English gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might readily overlook the term "initial stages" as simple a turn of phrase.
But, it might be the crucial element of this unusual job advert, as it aims to find a tutor for a infant.
Hundreds of responses have since been received since the unidentified family posted their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the listing has attracted interest across the press, with many questioning why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their search, explained that notwithstanding initial skepticism, he found the concept "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they appreciated the unusual aspect of their demand, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already set in".
What exactly does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", he answered. "How you eat, how you speak".
He explained the elder child had picked up "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family told him they hoped to prevent history to recur with their younger child.
The strategy: To hire a English tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the learning at the start here is kind of absorbed naturally," said the expert.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will pick up the English characteristics they wish to instil.
The consultant said the tutor needed to be somebody who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed the expert the selected educator should preferably also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in horse riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to influence the child in a diverse set of passions.
More than that though, he stated the family desired the tutor to register the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son become a "UK sophisticate" will result in achievement and open doors.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he adds.
However, despite all this tutelage in "English culture", could the child adopt so-called cultural bias from the multicultural family he is raised by anyway?
"Certainly", said the CEO. "The parents realize this could fail, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as soon as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he said.
Impractical
There are some in the private teaching field who express these reservations.
An education leader, head and founder of Blue Education, who provides individual instructors, wrote that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
Peter noted that he had moved from China to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been brought up knowing and living dual heritages. He continued to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that an individual can serve as a living vessel of UK identity, an individual who can possibly impart the qualities of a British gentleman upon a one-year-old child, seems to me optimistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"Based on my background, employing a distinctly UK tutor from infancy will will not automatically create the result they desire.
"I did not have such a figure, and yet I have been fortunate enough to enjoy numerous of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, cultural identity cannot be dictated from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, Britishness is something the CEO thinks can be taught – and marketed.
"In my view the fact that the world views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
