Coaching a Toddler to Develop into an 'English Gentleman' – Is It Worth the Cost?

"Parents residing in the northern part of London is looking for an extraordinary and qualified tutor to support their most junior child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."

Looking at this post, you might easily skip the wording "first-steps" as just figurative language.

But, it might be the crucial element of this distinctive employment listing, as it attempts to hire a teacher for a 12-month-old.

Hundreds of applications have already been submitted since the unidentified family posted their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".

During the past few weeks, the post has attracted interest throughout the media, with many wondering why?

Progressive Approach

A tutoring expert, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their hunt, said that in spite of first skepticism, he viewed the concept "far sighted", and "progressive".

When he consulted the family, he noted they understood the unconventional nature of their demand, and how young their son is.

However, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already taken hold".

But what did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?

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

He explained the elder child had absorbed "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family informed the consultant they wished to avoid the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.

The intention: To hire a British tutor, who must speak with RP, to influence the baby from day one.

Subtle Influence

"A lot of the learning at the start here is somewhat osmotic," said the expert.

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

Adam explained the tutor must be somebody who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".

"The educator 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.

Money No Object

The family informed him the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or interest in riding, skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a wide range of passions.

More than that though, he said the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".

In the family's minds, guiding their son grow into a "British gentleman" will result in accomplishment and open doors.

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

Yet, despite all this guidance in "UK identity", would the child pick up what is termed cultural influence from the globally influenced family he lives with anyway?

"Yes", replied the CEO. "They know this may not work, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as early as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he said.

Overly Optimistic

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

An education leader, chief executive of Blue Education, who supplies individual instructors, stated that "the process of becoming bicultural, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not designed."

He noted that he had moved from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the period of childhood, and had been educated knowing and living both cultures. He progressed to learn at the University of Cambridge.

"The notion that a single person can serve as a embodiment of UK identity, an individual who can possibly transfer the attributes of a UK sophisticate to a 12-month-old child, appears naive and unrealistic," he wrote.

"From my perspective, employing a distinctly English tutor from infancy will not necessarily produce the result they want.

"I never had that kind of mentor, and yet I have been privileged enough to live several of the experiences they desire for their son."

He added: "The fact is, cultural identity can not be forced from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."

Acquiring Englishness

Certainly, Britishness is something Adam believes can be taught – and commercialized.

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