Coaching a Baby to Become an 'British Gentleman' – Is It Worth the Money?
"Parents residing in the northern part of London wants to find an remarkable and qualified tutor to guide their youngest child on his first steps to turning into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might readily skip the term "beginning" as simple an expression.
Yet, it may be the crucial element of this distinctive job advert, as it attempts to recruit a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of applications have now been submitted since the anonymous family posted their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the advert has gained interest across the news, with numerous asking why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their quest, explained that despite first scepticism, he found the plan "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he said they recognized the unusual nature of their request, and how immature their son is.
But, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had by then taken hold".
What precisely did the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam replied. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the older sibling had absorbed "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family explained to Adam they did not want the same situation to happen again with their new baby.
The intention: To engage a English tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the education at the start here is somewhat acquired indirectly," stated the expert.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will adopt the British traits they want to cultivate.
He explained the tutor must be somebody who studied at "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator must be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Money No Object
The family explained to Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in horse riding, skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to influence the child in a diverse set of interests.
More than that though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a range of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son become a "British gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and create opportunities.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he notes.
But, despite all this instruction in "Britishness", would the child adopt what is termed cultural influence from the international family he resides with regardless?
"Certainly", said the CEO. "The family know this could fail, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as soon as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who share these reservations.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who supplies private tutors, stated that "the development of embracing two identities, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
He explained that he had moved from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the time of seven, and had been raised understanding and embodying dual heritages. He went on to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that one individual can act as a embodiment of Britishness, someone who can possibly impart the attributes of a English gentleman to a infant child, strikes me as naive and unfeasible," he wrote.
"From my perspective, employing a quintessentially British tutor from babyhood will does not necessarily create the result they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and yet I have been lucky enough to enjoy numerous of the experiences they hope for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, self-identity should not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Of course, Britishness is something Adam believes can be educated – and sold.
"I think the reality that the world regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
