🔗 Share this article

"A household residing in the northern part of London wants to find an extraordinary and experienced educator to guide their smallest child on his initial journey to turning into an British gentleman."

When reading this advertisement, you might easily overlook the wording "beginning" as simple a turn of phrase.

However, it might be the crucial element of this unique position posting, as it aims to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.

Numerous of submissions have now been submitted since the unnamed family published their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".

Over the last few weeks, the listing has gained interest across the press, with many wondering why?

Forward-Thinking Method

Adam Caller, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their search, said that notwithstanding first skepticism, he found the idea "forward-looking", and "innovative".

When he spoke with the family, he noted they understood the unconventional nature of their demand, and how early in age their son is.

Nevertheless, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".

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

It's "everything", he responded. "The way you eat, how you speak".

He explained the elder child had absorbed "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family told him they wished to avoid the same situation to happen again with their new baby.

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

Subtle Influence

"Much of the education at the beginning here is kind of osmotic," stated Adam.

It's through this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will pick up the UK customs they want to instil.

Adam noted the tutor needed to be somebody who attended "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".

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

Money No Object

The family told the expert the chosen tutor should preferably also have familiarity of or interest in horse riding, winter sports, creative fields and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a wide range of interests.

Furthermore though, he said the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".

In the family's minds, guiding their son develop into a "English gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and create opportunities.

"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he adds.

But, despite all this tutelage in "UK identity", would the child pick up alleged cultural influence from the globally influenced family he lives with regardless?

"Absolutely", replied the CEO. "The family understand this may not work, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as soon as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he said.

Idealistic and Unrealistic

Several in the private teaching field who share those reservations.

Another CEO, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer personal educators, stated that "the process of becoming bicultural, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not designed."

The expert noted that he had moved from Asia to the United Kingdom at the time of 7 years old, and had been educated knowing and embodying two backgrounds. He progressed to study at a prestigious UK institution.

"The notion that an individual can serve as a embodiment of English culture, someone who can somehow transplant the characteristics of a English gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, appears idealistic and unfeasible," he wrote.

"Based on my background, employing a quintessentially UK tutor from babyhood will will not necessarily produce the result they desire.

"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to live several of the situations they aspire for their son."

He continued: "The truth is, cultural identity should not be imposed from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."

Buying Britishness

Of course, English culture is something Adam believes can be instructed – and sold.

"I believe the fact that the world regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating