Coaching a Baby to Develop into an 'English Gentleman' – Does It Justify the Money?

"A family located in North London seeks an remarkable and qualified tutor to assist their youngest child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."

Looking at this listing, you might readily skip the phrase "first-steps" as mere an expression.

But, it could be the most important aspect of this unique employment listing, as it attempts to find a mentor for a 12-month-old.

Hundreds of applications have since been received since the unidentified family published their call for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".

Over the last few weeks, the post has received notice across the press, with several asking why?

Progressive Approach

Adam Caller, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their hunt, explained that notwithstanding initial skepticism, he found the plan "forward-looking", and "innovative".

When he consulted the family, he said they understood the unconventional character of their request, and how immature their son is.

However, they stated 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 point "cultural influence had already set in".

What precisely did the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?

It's "comprehensive", he answered. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".

He explained the older sibling had picked up "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family told the consultant they hoped to prevent this pattern to happen again with their younger child.

The plan: To bring in a English tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby right from the beginning.

Osmotic Learning

"A great deal of the development at the outset here is kind of acquired indirectly," stated the expert.

It's via this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will pick up the English characteristics they want to instil.

He said the tutor had to be somebody who studied at "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".

"The educator simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.

Cost Not Relevant

The family explained to the expert the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and music so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.

Furthermore though, he said the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an tool by the time they are around three years old".

In the family's perspective, guiding their son become a "English gentleman" will result in success and open doors.

"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he notes.

But, despite all this guidance in "English culture", would the child adopt alleged cultural bias from the globally influenced family he lives with anyway?

"Absolutely", said he. "They realize this could fail, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he explained.

Overly Optimistic

There are some in the tutoring industry who express similar doubts.

An education leader, head and founder of Blue Education, who also offer personal educators, commented that "the journey of embracing two identities, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."

The expert explained that he had emigrated from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the age of childhood, and had been brought up knowing and embodying two backgrounds. He continued to study at the University of Cambridge.

"The idea that a single person can function as a living vessel of English culture, someone who can possibly transfer the characteristics of a British gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, appears optimistic and unfeasible," he wrote.

"In my experience, having a typically British tutor from babyhood will not automatically achieve the goal they hope for.

"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to live many of the situations they desire for their son."

He continued: "The truth is, self-identity can not be imposed from the outside; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."

Acquiring Englishness

Naturally, UK identity is something the expert thinks can be instructed – and marketed.

"I think the fact that the world views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating