Educating a Baby to Become an 'English Gentleman' – Is It Worth the Investment?

Child education concept
The company behind the advert explains that what looks like "luxury or peculiarity" is in fact "deliberate investment in early-stage education".

"Parents based in the northern part of London seeks an remarkable and skilled tutor to support their youngest child on his first steps to growing into an English gentleman."

Upon seeing this advertisement, you might readily miss the wording "initial stages" as just figurative language.

But, it might be the most significant element of this distinctive employment listing, as it aims to find a tutor for a one-year-old.

Hundreds of submissions have already been sent in since the unnamed family posted their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".

Over the last few weeks, the post has attracted notice across the news, with several asking why?

Forward-Thinking Method

The CEO, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their quest, said that in spite of initial skepticism, he viewed the plan "visionary", and "progressive".

When he spoke with the family, he said they understood the atypical character of their requirement, and how young their son is.

Nevertheless, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had by then set in".

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

It's "all-encompassing", the expert replied. "The manner you eat, how you speak".

He stated the firstborn had absorbed "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family told Adam they wished to avoid history to happen again with their infant.

The plan: To engage a English tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from day one.

Tutoring discussion
Tutors International say the advert has initiated a broader debate about how parents view education, elitism and the role of home and culture in development.

Osmotic Learning

"A great deal of the learning at the outset here is somewhat acquired indirectly," said the CEO.

It's via this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will adopt the English characteristics they aim to instil.

He explained the tutor needed to be an individual who studied at "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".

"The instructor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.

Money No Object

The family explained to the expert the selected educator should preferably also have understanding of or interest in equestrian activities, winter sports, the arts and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.

Additionally 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 approximately three years old".

In the family's view, guiding their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will bring about achievement and create opportunities.

"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he adds.

But, despite all this tutelage in "Britishness", would the child adopt alleged cultural leaning from the multicultural family he lives with in any case?

"Certainly", replied the CEO. "The parents know this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he stated.

Idealistic and Unrealistic

A number of in the education sector who have similar doubts.

Peter Cui, chief executive of Blue Education, who also offer personal educators, commented that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not designed."

Peter wrote that he had relocated from the Far East to the Britain at the period of childhood, and had been brought up experiencing and living dual heritages. He progressed to be educated at Cambridge University.

Peter Cui portrait
The educator was the first person born in China to be elected to the position of Financial Officer of the university debating society.

"The notion that an individual can function as a embodiment of UK identity, someone who can in some way transplant the qualities of a English gentleman onto a infant child, strikes me as idealistic and unfeasible," he wrote.

"From my perspective, engaging a quintessentially British tutor from infancy will not instantly produce the result they hope for.

"I did not have such a figure, and yet I have been privileged enough to live many of the experiences they hope for their son."

He stated: "The reality is, cultural identity should not be forced from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."

Purchasing UK Culture

Certainly, Britishness is something the CEO believes can be educated – and sold.

"I think the reality that the global community holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating

Heather Esparza
Heather Esparza

Lotte is een duurzaamheidsexpert uit Zwolle die schrijft over milieuvriendelijk wonen en lokale initiatieven.