Educating a Toddler to Grow into an 'English Gentleman' – Does It Justify the Money?
"A family residing in north London is looking for an extraordinary and qualified instructor to support their most junior child on his initial journey to turning into an English gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might easily skip the wording "beginning" as just figurative language.
However, it might be the most important aspect of this unique job advert, as it aims to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Many of applications have already been submitted since the unidentified family published their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has gained interest across the media, with many asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, chief executive of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their quest, said that notwithstanding early skepticism, he considered the concept "visionary", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he mentioned they recognized the atypical nature of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural influence had by then become established".
What precisely did the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert replied. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the elder child had absorbed "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family informed Adam they did not want this pattern to repeat itself with their new baby.
The intention: To engage a English tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the development at the start here is kind of osmotic," stated Adam.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will adopt the UK customs they aim to impart.
The consultant said the tutor had to be someone who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to the expert the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in horse riding, winter sports, the arts and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a wide range of interests.
Furthermore though, he said the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will result in achievement and provide access.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he comments.
But, despite all this tutelage in "English culture", could the child pick up alleged cultural influence from the multicultural family he is raised by anyway?
"Certainly", said Adam. "They know this may not work, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'we should try and let's go as early as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Impractical
A number of in the private teaching field who have these doubts.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who provides individual instructors, commented that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
Peter explained that he had relocated from Asia to the Britain at the time of childhood, and had been educated understanding and embodying dual heritages. He went on to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that one individual can serve as a embodiment of Britishness, someone who can in some way transplant the qualities of a British gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, appears naive and impractical," he commented.
"In my experience, engaging a quintessentially English tutor from infancy will not instantly create the result they want.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to experience many of the experiences they desire for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, cultural identity cannot be dictated from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, UK identity is something the CEO hopes can be instructed – and sold.
"I believe the situation that the global community regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating