Tutoring a Toddler to Grow into an 'British Gentleman' – Does It Justify the Investment?

Child education concept
The organization behind the advertisement claims that what appears like "extravagance or oddity" is in fact "purposeful investment in early-stage education".

"A household residing in North London seeks an extraordinary and qualified tutor to assist their most junior child on his initial journey to turning into an British gentleman."

Upon seeing this post, you might easily miss the term "initial stages" as simple a turn of phrase.

But, it may be the crucial part of this unique job advert, as it attempts to recruit a teacher for a 12-month-old.

Hundreds of responses have since been received since the anonymous family posted their call for the highly paid tutor, who must be "someone very special".

During the past few weeks, the post has attracted notice across the news, with several asking why?

Progressive Approach

A tutoring expert, head and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their hunt, stated that notwithstanding initial skepticism, he considered the idea "forward-looking", and "advanced".

When he spoke with the family, he noted they understood the atypical nature of their request, and how young their son is.

However, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already become established".

What precisely does the family mean by "cultural bias"?

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

He stated the firstborn had adopted "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family told him they hoped to prevent the same situation to recur with their new baby.

The intention: To bring in a English tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby right from the beginning.

Tutoring discussion
The education firm say the listing has sparked a wider conversation about how households perceive learning, elitism and the function of home and culture in education.

Osmotic Learning

"Much of the development at the start here is rather acquired indirectly," said the expert.

It's via this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will acquire the British traits they aim to impart.

The consultant said the tutor had to be someone who studied at "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".

"The educator just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he said.

Expense Not a Factor

The family explained to Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in horse riding, skiing, the arts and music so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of passions.

Furthermore though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an instrument by the time they are around three years old".

In the family's perspective, helping their son become a "British gentleman" will result in achievement and create opportunities.

"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he notes.

But, notwithstanding all this guidance in "UK identity", might the child pick up alleged cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he resides with anyway?

"Certainly", answered Adam. "They realize this may not work, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'we should try and we should start as early as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he explained.

Idealistic and Unrealistic

There are some in the education sector who share these reservations.

Another CEO, head and founder of an educational organization, who also offer individual instructors, commented that "the journey of embracing two identities, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."

Peter explained that he had relocated from Asia to the UK at the time of seven, and had been raised experiencing and practicing dual heritages. He progressed to learn at Cambridge University.

Peter Cui portrait
Peter Cui was the first individual originating from China to be selected to the role of Treasurer of the Cambridge Union.

"The concept that an individual can act as a living vessel of Britishness, someone who can somehow transfer the characteristics of a UK sophisticate onto a one-year-old child, seems to me optimistic and impractical," he wrote.

"Based on my background, having a distinctly British tutor from early childhood will does not instantly produce the result they hope for.

"I never had such a figure, and however I have been lucky enough to live several of the situations they aspire for their son."

He added: "The reality is, cultural identity should not be imposed from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."

Buying Britishness

Certainly, English culture is something the expert believes can be taught – and commercialized.

"I believe the reality that the world holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating

Matthew Golden
Matthew Golden

Marcus Thorne is a business strategist with over 15 years of experience in digital innovation and enterprise scaling, based in the UK.