Coaching a Baby to Become an 'British Gentleman' – Is It Worth the Cost?

"Parents located in north London is looking for an remarkable and skilled educator to guide their youngest child on his initial journey to becoming an English gentleman."

Upon seeing this listing, you might easily miss the term "initial stages" as mere figurative language.

But, it might be the crucial element of this unusual position posting, as it attempts to hire a teacher for a one-year-old.

Hundreds of submissions have already been received since the unnamed family posted their search for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "someone very special".

Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted attention in the press, with many questioning why?

Innovative Idea

The CEO, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their search, explained that notwithstanding initial doubt, he considered the concept "far sighted", and "progressive".

When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they appreciated the atypical nature of their request, and how early in age their son is.

But, they stated that they "didn't want to wait 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 precisely did the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?

It's "all-encompassing", Adam replied. "The way you eat, the way you speak".

He stated the elder child had adopted "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family explained to him they hoped to prevent this pattern to recur with their infant.

The plan: To engage a British tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby from day one.

Osmotic Learning

"A great deal of the development at the start here is kind of acquired indirectly," explained the CEO.

It's via this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will pick up the British traits they want to cultivate.

Adam noted the tutor needed to be an individual who went to "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".

"The tutor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.

Expense Not a Factor

The family told Adam the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in equestrian activities, winter sports, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to shape the child in a wide range of passions.

More than that though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".

In the family's view, guiding their son grow into a "British gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and open doors.

"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he notes.

Yet, in spite of all this guidance in "English culture", might the child adopt alleged cultural leaning from the international family he is raised by regardless?

"Absolutely", said the CEO. "The parents understand this could fail, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as early as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he stated.

Impractical

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

Peter Cui, head and founder of an educational organization, who provides private tutors, commented that "the development of embracing two identities, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."

He explained that he had emigrated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the period of childhood, and had been brought up knowing and living two backgrounds. He progressed to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.

"The notion that a single person can function as a representation of UK identity, a person who can possibly transplant the attributes of a UK sophisticate to a one-year-old child, appears idealistic and unfeasible," he commented.

"Based on my background, having a distinctly British tutor from early childhood will will not automatically produce the result they hope for.

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

He stated: "The truth is, self-identity should not be dictated from the outside; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."

Purchasing UK Culture

Of course, UK identity is something the CEO hopes can be taught – and marketed.

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