Educating a Baby to Become an 'British Gentleman' – Is It Worth the Cost?

"Parents based in north London is looking for an exceptional and skilled tutor to guide their smallest child on his early path to growing into an English gentleman."

When reading this listing, you might readily skip the wording "beginning" as mere an expression.

But, it could be the most significant element of this unique position posting, as it attempts to recruit a teacher for a 12-month-old.

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

In recent few weeks, the listing has gained interest throughout the media, with several questioning why?

Forward-Thinking Method

The CEO, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their quest, explained that in spite of early skepticism, he considered the plan "visionary", and "progressive".

When he spoke with the family, he noted they recognized the unconventional aspect of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.

Nevertheless, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already set in".

But what did the family mean by "cultural bias"?

It's "comprehensive", he responded. "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 adopted their cultural norms. The family told Adam they did not want history to repeat itself with their younger child.

The intention: To hire a English tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to influence the baby from the very start.

Natural Absorption

"A great deal of the education at the start here is kind of absorbed naturally," said Adam.

It's through this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will acquire the British traits they want to cultivate.

The consultant explained the tutor had to be somebody who attended "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".

"The educator must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he added.

Money No Object

The family explained to him the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in horse riding, skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a wide range of passions.

Additionally though, he explained the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".

In the family's minds, guiding their son develop into a "British gentleman" will bring about achievement and create opportunities.

"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he comments.

Yet, despite all this tutelage in "UK identity", could the child pick up alleged cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he is raised by anyway?

"Absolutely", said Adam. "The parents understand this could fail, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'we should try and we should start as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he said.

Overly Optimistic

Several in the tutoring industry who share these reservations.

Peter Cui, chief executive of a tutoring service, who provides private tutors, commented that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."

He wrote that he had relocated from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the period of childhood, and had been raised experiencing and embodying dual heritages. He continued to learn at a prestigious UK institution.

"The idea that an individual can serve as a representation of Britishness, an individual who can somehow transplant the qualities of a English gentleman to a one-year-old child, seems to me idealistic and unfeasible," he commented.

"From my perspective, engaging a typically English tutor from babyhood will not automatically achieve the result they hope for.

"I never had that kind of mentor, and however I have been privileged enough to enjoy many of the experiences they aspire for their son."

He added: "The reality is, personal identity can not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."

Purchasing UK Culture

Of course, English culture is something the expert hopes can be educated – and commercialized.

"I think the reality that the world holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating