Educating a Toddler to Become an 'English Gentleman' – Is It Worth the Investment?
"A household residing in the northern part of London is looking for an exceptional and experienced instructor to support their youngest child on his initial journey to turning into an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might naturally miss the wording "beginning" as mere figurative language.
However, it may be the most important element of this unusual employment listing, as it seeks to recruit a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of submissions have already been submitted since the unidentified family published their call for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted interest throughout the media, with several wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their search, explained that notwithstanding early doubt, he considered the plan "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he said they recognized the atypical nature of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
However, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had already set in".
What precisely does the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", Adam responded. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the elder child had adopted "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family informed the consultant they did not want this pattern to repeat itself with their younger child.
The strategy: To engage a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the learning at the beginning here is rather osmotic," said the CEO.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will pick up the British traits they want to instil.
The consultant explained the tutor had to be an individual who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Money No Object
The family told Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or passion in horse riding, skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
More than that though, he explained the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son develop into a "British gentleman" will lead to success and open doors.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he comments.
But, in spite of all this guidance in "Britishness", would the child adopt what is termed cultural influence from the globally influenced family he resides with anyway?
"Certainly", replied he. "The family know this could fail, but they've just taken the view of, 'we should try and we should start as soon as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the tutoring industry who share similar doubts.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who provides personal educators, stated that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
Peter explained that he had emigrated from the Far East to the Britain at the period of seven, and had been raised understanding and practicing two backgrounds. He continued to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that a single person can act as a representation of English culture, a person who can somehow impart the characteristics of a UK sophisticate to a infant child, strikes me as naive and impractical," he wrote.
"In my experience, having a typically English tutor from babyhood will not instantly create the outcome they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to live numerous of the situations they hope for their son."
He added: "The fact is, self-identity cannot be forced from the outside; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be educated – and marketed.
"I believe the reality that the world regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating