Educating a Baby to Develop into an 'British Gentleman' – Is It Worth the Money?
"A family residing in the northern part of London is looking for an remarkable and experienced tutor to support their most junior child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might naturally skip the wording "first-steps" as mere an expression.
Yet, it might be the crucial aspect of this unique job advert, as it attempts to find a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Many of applications have since been submitted since the unnamed family posted their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the advert has received attention across the media, with several asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, head and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their search, explained that notwithstanding initial doubt, he found the concept "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he noted they understood the unconventional aspect of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
However, 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 point "cultural influence had by then set in".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", he replied. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the older sibling had absorbed "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family explained to the consultant they did not want the same situation to happen again with their younger child.
The plan: To hire a UK tutor, who should speak with RP, to guide the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the development at the beginning here is somewhat acquired indirectly," stated Adam.
It's through this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will pick up the UK customs they wish to instil.
He explained the tutor had to be someone who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor must be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
More than that though, he said the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a range of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son develop into a "British gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and create opportunities.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he notes.
However, despite all this tutelage in "English culture", could the child adopt what is termed cultural bias from the multicultural family he resides with anyway?
"Absolutely", said he. "The family understand this could fail, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the tutoring industry who have similar reservations.
An education leader, head and founder of an educational organization, who supplies individual instructors, wrote that "the process of embracing two identities, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
Peter noted that he had relocated from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the time of 7 years old, and had been educated experiencing and embodying both cultures. He continued to learn at Cambridge University.
"The idea that a single person can serve as a embodiment of English culture, someone who can in some way transplant the characteristics of a British gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, appears naive and impractical," he stated.
"Based on my background, having a quintessentially British tutor from infancy will not instantly create the result they hope for.
"I did not have such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to enjoy many of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, cultural identity cannot be dictated from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be educated – and marketed.
"In my view the situation that the global community views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating