Educating a Toddler to Become an 'British Gentleman' – Does It Justify the Cost?

Child education concept
The organization behind the advertisement states that what looks like "extravagance or peculiarity" is actually "purposeful commitment in initial learning".

"A household based in north London is looking for an exceptional and experienced educator to guide their most junior child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."

When reading this listing, you might naturally skip the phrase "initial stages" as just a turn of phrase.

But, it might be the most significant part of this unusual employment listing, as it aims to hire a mentor for a one-year-old.

Many of submissions have now been sent in since the anonymous family advertised their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".

During the past few weeks, the post has gained attention in the news, with numerous asking why?

Forward-Thinking Method

A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their hunt, explained that despite initial scepticism, he considered the idea "visionary", and "innovative".

When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they understood the unusual aspect of their demand, and how young their son is.

But, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already become established".

But what did the family refer to by "cultural bias"?

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

He explained the older sibling had adopted "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family informed him they hoped to prevent the same situation to happen again with their infant.

The strategy: To bring in a British tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby right from the beginning.

Tutoring discussion
The tutoring agency say the listing has started a broader conversation about how parents view education, privilege and the part of cultural environment in learning.

Natural Absorption

"Much of the development at the outset here is rather acquired indirectly," explained Adam.

It's through this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will acquire the English characteristics they wish to cultivate.

He noted the tutor must be someone who studied at "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".

"The instructor just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he said.

Expense Not a Factor

The family explained to the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in horse riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and music so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of passions.

Additionally though, he explained the family desired the tutor to register the child on a range of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an tool by the time they are around three years old".

In the family's minds, guiding their son become a "English gentleman" will bring about achievement and provide access.

"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he notes.

However, despite all this tutelage in "English culture", might the child absorb what is termed cultural bias from the multicultural family he resides with anyway?

"Certainly", said Adam. "They know this could fail, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as early as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he said.

Idealistic and Unrealistic

A number of in the education sector who share those doubts.

Another CEO, head and founder of Blue Education, who supplies personal educators, wrote that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."

Peter explained that he had moved from China to the Britain at the age of seven, and had been raised understanding and living two backgrounds. He continued to learn at the University of Cambridge.

Peter Cui portrait
The educator was the pioneer hailing from the People's Republic of China to be selected to the post of Financial Officer of the Cambridge Union Society.

"The concept that an individual can act as a representation of English culture, a person who can possibly transfer the qualities of a English gentleman onto a infant child, strikes me as optimistic and impractical," he stated.

"In my experience, having a distinctly UK tutor from early childhood will not automatically achieve the result they desire.

"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and however I have been lucky enough to experience numerous of the opportunities they aspire for their son."

He added: "The fact is, cultural identity cannot be dictated from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."

Buying Britishness

Naturally, English culture is something the CEO hopes can be taught – and sold.

"In my view the reality that the world views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating

Philip Mcintyre MD
Philip Mcintyre MD

A seasoned network engineer with over 15 years of experience in designing and implementing secure enterprise solutions.