Educating an Infant to Become an 'British Gentleman' – Is It Worth the Investment?
"A household based in the northern part of London seeks an extraordinary and skilled instructor to guide their smallest child on his initial journey to turning into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might naturally overlook the wording "initial stages" as simple an expression.
Yet, it might be the most significant aspect of this unique employment listing, as it seeks to hire a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of applications have since been received since the unidentified family posted their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the post has received interest throughout the media, with several questioning why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their hunt, said that in spite of first skepticism, he found the idea "visionary", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they understood the unusual aspect of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
However, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already become established".
What precisely did the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", he answered. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the older sibling had picked up "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family told him they did not want history to happen again with their infant.
The plan: To bring in a British tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the education at the beginning here is rather osmotic," stated the expert.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will pick up the British traits they aim to impart.
He explained the tutor must be someone who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Money No Object
The family told him the chosen tutor should preferably also have understanding of or interest in equestrian activities, winter sports, creative fields and musical activities so as to shape the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
More than that though, he explained the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son grow into a "English gentleman" will lead to achievement and open doors.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he adds.
However, despite all this guidance in "Britishness", would the child pick up alleged cultural leaning from the international family he resides with anyway?
"Certainly", replied Adam. "They know this could fail, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'we should try and we should start as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who share similar concerns.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who provides personal educators, stated that "the process of becoming bicultural, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
Peter explained that he had relocated from China to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been brought up understanding and practicing both cultures. He went on to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that one individual can serve as a embodiment of English culture, an individual who can somehow transfer the qualities of a British gentleman upon a infant child, strikes me as idealistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"From my perspective, having a typically British tutor from babyhood will not necessarily create the outcome they desire.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and yet I have been lucky enough to experience numerous of the situations they hope for their son."
He added: "The fact is, cultural identity can not be forced from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, Britishness is something the expert thinks can be educated – and commercialized.
"In my view the situation that the international society regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating