Educating a Baby to Develop into an 'English Gentleman' – Does It Justify the Cost?

"Parents residing in North London wants to find an extraordinary and experienced instructor to support their most junior child on his early path to turning into an British gentleman."

Upon seeing this post, you might easily skip the wording "beginning" as mere figurative language.

However, it could be the crucial aspect of this distinctive job advert, as it aims to recruit a mentor for a infant.

Hundreds of submissions have since been sent in since the anonymous family posted their call for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "someone very special".

During the past few weeks, the listing has received interest in the press, with many questioning why?

Progressive Approach

The CEO, head and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their search, said that notwithstanding first doubt, he considered the plan "far sighted", and "innovative".

When he consulted the family, he noted they recognized the unconventional character of their requirement, and how young their son is.

But, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural influence had by then become established".

What exactly does the family mean by "cultural leaning"?

It's "all-encompassing", the expert responded. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".

He explained the firstborn had picked up "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family informed the consultant they hoped to prevent the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.

The intention: To bring in a English tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from the very start.

Osmotic Learning

"Much of the development at the start here is rather osmotic," said Adam.

It's through this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will adopt the British traits they aim to cultivate.

Adam said the tutor had to be someone who went to "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".

"The tutor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.

Expense Not a Factor

The family informed him the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in equestrian activities, skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to shape the child in a diverse set of passions.

More than that though, he stated the family desired the tutor to register the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an tool by the time they are around three years old".

In the family's view, guiding their son grow into a "British gentleman" will bring about achievement and provide access.

"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he notes.

However, despite all this tutelage in "Britishness", might the child adopt what is termed cultural influence from the multicultural family he resides with anyway?

"Certainly", answered Adam. "The family know this may not work, but they've just taken the view of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he explained.

Impractical

There are some in the education sector who have similar reservations.

Another CEO, head and founder of Blue Education, who provides individual instructors, wrote that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."

Peter explained that he had emigrated from Asia to the Britain at the period of seven, and had been brought up experiencing and practicing dual heritages. He continued to learn at a prestigious UK institution.

"The concept that one individual can act as a living vessel of Britishness, an individual who can somehow impart the qualities of a English gentleman upon a infant child, seems to me naive and unrealistic," he stated.

"In my experience, having a distinctly English tutor from infancy will will not automatically achieve the result they want.

"I did not have such a figure, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to experience many of the opportunities they desire for their son."

He added: "The fact is, cultural identity should not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."

Buying Britishness

Certainly, English culture is something Adam thinks can be taught – and sold.

"I believe the situation that the global community regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating