🔗 Share this article

"Parents residing in north London seeks an exceptional and skilled instructor to guide their youngest child on his first steps to becoming an English gentleman."

When reading this post, you might easily miss the phrase "first-steps" as mere figurative language.

Yet, it may be the crucial part of this unique job advert, as it aims to find a mentor for a 12-month-old.

Many of responses have now been sent in since the anonymous family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".

During the past few weeks, the post has received interest in the media, with numerous questioning why?

Progressive Approach

The CEO, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their quest, stated that notwithstanding first doubt, he found the idea "far sighted", and "advanced".

When he met the family, he noted they appreciated the unconventional aspect of their request, and how young their son is.

However, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had by then taken hold".

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

It's "everything", the expert replied. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".

He stated the elder child had adopted "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family told him they did not want the same situation to happen again with their new baby.

The strategy: To hire a English tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby from the very start.

Natural Absorption

"Much of the education at the outset here is kind of acquired indirectly," stated Adam.

It's through this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will adopt the English characteristics they want to impart.

The consultant said the tutor needed to be an individual who studied at "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".

"The tutor must be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he added.

Cost Not Relevant

The family told him the chosen tutor should preferably also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, winter sports, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.

Furthermore though, he said the family desired the tutor to register the child on a range of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an instrument by the time they are about three years old".

In the family's perspective, helping their son become a "British gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and provide access.

"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he comments.

Yet, despite all this tutelage in "English culture", could the child pick up what is termed cultural influence from the multicultural family he resides with regardless?

"Yes", answered he. "The family know this may not work, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he said.

Impractical

A number of in the private teaching field who have those reservations.

Another CEO, head and founder of Blue Education, who also offer personal educators, commented that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."

The expert wrote that he had moved from China to the United Kingdom at the time of childhood, and had been educated understanding and embodying dual heritages. He continued to be educated at the University of Cambridge.

"The notion that a single person can function as a embodiment of Britishness, an individual who can somehow transplant the characteristics of a UK sophisticate onto a infant child, seems to me idealistic and unrealistic," he stated.

"In my experience, engaging a distinctly British tutor from infancy will does not automatically produce the outcome they hope for.

"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and yet I have been privileged enough to enjoy several of the situations they aspire for their son."

He added: "The reality is, personal identity cannot be forced from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."

Buying Britishness

Certainly, Britishness is something the expert believes can be educated – and commercialized.

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