Educating a Baby to Develop into an 'English Gentleman' – Is It Worth the Money?

Child education concept
The company behind the advert states that what seems like "luxury or peculiarity" is truly "purposeful investment in initial learning".

"A family residing in north London wants to find an extraordinary and qualified instructor to support their youngest child on his early path to growing into an English gentleman."

Upon seeing this listing, you might naturally skip the wording "first-steps" as mere a turn of phrase.

Yet, it might be the most significant part of this distinctive employment listing, as it seeks to find a mentor for a 12-month-old.

Hundreds of applications have since been received since the unnamed family advertised their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".

Over the last few weeks, the post has attracted attention in the media, with many wondering why?

Innovative Idea

The CEO, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their hunt, stated that despite first scepticism, he viewed the plan "visionary", and "progressive".

When he consulted the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unusual nature of their request, and how young their son is.

But, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already become established".

But what did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?

It's "comprehensive", the expert responded. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".

He said the firstborn had picked up "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family told the consultant they did not want history to recur with their new baby.

The strategy: To engage a British tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from the very start.

Tutoring discussion
The education firm claim the post has sparked a wider discussion about how parents regard learning, elitism and the role of cultural environment in education.

Subtle Influence

"A lot of the education at the beginning here is somewhat acquired indirectly," stated the CEO.

It's via this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will acquire the UK customs they wish to impart.

Adam said the tutor had to be somebody who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".

"The educator simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he commented.

Expense Not a Factor

The family informed Adam the successful candidate should preferably also have understanding of or passion in equestrian activities, skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.

Additionally though, he stated the family desired the tutor to register the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an tool by the time they are around three years old".

In the family's minds, helping their son become a "UK sophisticate" will lead to accomplishment and provide access.

"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he adds.

However, despite all this instruction in "Britishness", would the child pick up so-called cultural bias from the globally influenced family he is raised by anyway?

"Certainly", said the CEO. "The parents know this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he explained.

Impractical

A number of in the tutoring industry who share these reservations.

Peter Cui, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer individual instructors, commented that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."

The expert wrote that he had relocated from China to the Britain at the age of 7 years old, and had been brought up knowing and living dual heritages. He continued to be educated at the University of Cambridge.

Peter Cui portrait
Peter Cui was the pioneer born in mainland China to be elected to the position of Treasurer of the Cambridge Union Society.

"The notion that one individual can function as a representation of Britishness, a person who can possibly transplant the attributes of a English gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, strikes me as naive and unfeasible," he wrote.

"From my perspective, employing a typically English tutor from early childhood will not necessarily produce the outcome they want.

"I did not have such a figure, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to live many of the experiences they aspire for their son."

He stated: "The reality is, personal identity should not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."

Purchasing UK Culture

Of course, English culture is something the CEO hopes can be instructed – and marketed.

"I believe the situation that the international society regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating

Angela Ellis
Angela Ellis

A seasoned traveler and writer, Elara has journeyed to over 60 countries, documenting cultural experiences and off-the-beaten-path adventures.