Coaching a Toddler to Develop into an 'British Gentleman' – Does It Justify the Investment?
"A family based in north London is looking for an exceptional and qualified educator to support their youngest child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might easily miss the wording "initial stages" as mere a turn of phrase.
However, it might be the most significant part of this unique employment listing, as it aims to hire a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of responses have since been sent in since the anonymous family posted their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the post has received attention across the news, with many wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their quest, stated that in spite of early scepticism, he viewed the concept "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he mentioned they understood the unusual character of their demand, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already set in".
What precisely does the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam replied. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the older sibling had absorbed "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family informed the consultant they wished to avoid history to recur with their infant.
The intention: To bring in a UK tutor, who should speak with RP, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the development at the beginning here is rather acquired indirectly," explained Adam.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will acquire the English characteristics they wish to cultivate.
The consultant noted the tutor needed to be someone who attended "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds 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 performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or passion in horse riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
Additionally though, he explained the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son become a "British gentleman" will bring about success and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he comments.
Yet, in spite of all this tutelage in "UK identity", might the child absorb so-called cultural leaning from the international family he lives with in any case?
"Absolutely", answered the CEO. "The parents understand this could fail, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'we should try and we should start as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the private teaching field who have those reservations.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who provides individual instructors, wrote that "the journey of embracing two identities, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
He explained that he had moved from China to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised knowing and embodying two backgrounds. He went on to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The concept that a single person can act as a embodiment of UK identity, a person who can somehow transfer the characteristics of a English gentleman to a infant child, seems to me optimistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"In my experience, employing a typically English tutor from early childhood will not automatically create the result they hope for.
"I never had such a figure, and however I have been lucky enough to enjoy many of the situations they aspire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, personal identity should not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, English culture is something Adam thinks can be educated – and sold.
"I think the situation that the world holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating