A wealthy family is offering a staggering £180,000 annual salary for a tutor to groom their son into an “English gentleman.” The parents, who are affluent businesspeople from overseas, desire a traditional English upbringing for their one-year-old boy, complete with exposure to activities like polo and classical music. The ultimate goal is to equip the child for enrollment in a prestigious public school such as Eton and to ensure he grows up with a strong bicultural identity.
The lucrative tutoring position, accompanied by the substantial salary, was advertised on the Times Educational Supplement job board and is situated in North London. The job entails fully immersing the child in British culture, values, and nuances to instill these elements before any other cultural influences take root. The ideal candidate is expected to be well-educated, possess a broad vocabulary, and speak with received pronunciation.
The family aims to introduce the child to various quintessentially British experiences to shape his habits, perspectives, preferences, and sporting interests. Plans include visits to iconic venues like Lord’s, Wimbledon, and Twickenham, along with instruction in cricket, tennis, rugby, equestrianism (including polo), and rowing.
The child has an older sibling, and the parents believe they began the cultural and educational development process too late with the older child at the age of five. Coming from a multilingual background, the family is determined to raise a genuinely bicultural child from a young age, leading them to seek a tutor now for the younger son.
Numerous applications have already been received for the tutoring role, with interviews scheduled to commence next month. However, the advert has sparked criticism on platforms like Mumsnet, with some expressing concern that the approach seems overly controlling and predetermined for the child’s future, questioning why the child’s natural development and choices are not being prioritized instead. Some commentators also noted the impressive salary but raised concerns about the potential challenges of working for such demanding parents.
