Family pays tutor R4.2 million annual salary to raise their 1-year-old as an 'English gentleman'
Would you pay R4.2 million for a tutor to teach your child to become an English gentleman?
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Parents of a one-year-old are advertising for a full-time tutor at an annual salary of R 4.2 million to prepare their son to become an “English gentleman”.
The family behind the advert, described as internationally wealthy business people living in North London, are seeking a tutor who can provide a “socially appropriate background” and be “well educated, with an extensive vocabulary, and who speaks with Received Pronunciation.”
According to the advert, the successful candidate “will likely have attended the best schools and universities in England” and must be “qualified to work with ultra-high-net-worth and royal families.”
Associates at Tutors International confirmed the vacancy is genuine. Founder Adam Caller told the Daily Mail; “I went to see them and asked them to explain their rationale, and it makes complete sense. They come from a region of the world where the normal style of behaviour is quite different from the UK.
“They’re trying to raise their child to be entirely bicultural - so indistinguishable from a child who would have been raised in the UK, by the nuances of their behaviour, eye contact, physical mannerisms, interests, understanding and so on.”
The advert states that the family had initially begun such a programme when the child’s older brother was five, but they concluded that was “too late.”
The role is described not as a typical nanny but as an academic mentor from babyhood, with the aim to stir “intellectual curiosity and development.”
The tutor’s role will be to guide “his first steps toward becoming an English gentleman.”
The advertisement states: “In time, the family hope their son will be accepted at a top-flight school such as Eton, St Paul’s, Westminster or Harrow. He should be exposed to a wide range of quintessentially British experiences to help hone his habits, outlooks, tastes and sporting preferences.
"There is no reason why the boy can’t visit Lord’s, Wimbledon and Twickenham for example, and be taught age-appropriate understanding of cricket, tennis, rugby and other sports such as equestrianism (including polo) and rowing.”
It adds that the tutor should also “expose him to classical music from Western composers.”
Mr Caller reported that there were already 61 applicants for the role, many of whom he described as “absolutely, completely outstanding”.
He expects interviews to start next week with the successful candidate beginning in mid-November. The full time role spans multiple years, beginning when the child is one, so the tutor can shape early-years development.
Tutors International, which has been recruiting for wealthy families for 26 years, says such high-end requests are not unusual.
According to Mr Caller: “It seems incredible, it seems impossible, but it’s not. This is what we do every day. The value of Britishness, globally, outside of Britain, is very high.”
IOL Lifestyle