A relatable family is on a hilarious cultural adventure towards fine-arts enlightenment. They’ve approached Tutors International to help them find a highly specialized private tutor for their one-year-old daughter. Adam Caller, CEO and founder of the educational consultancy, is facilitating this search, which echoes a growing trend among affluent families aiming to instill British values and traditions from a young age. The family’s aspirations include not just academic instruction but a comprehensive upbringing that cultivates emotional intelligence and manners befitting a “British gentleman.”
They are preparing for a personal move overseas next year. This family is looking for a tutor who is/can… The requirement on the ideal candidate was Received Pronunciation, the accent of British upper castes. This accent is a maker’s mark of erudition and cosmopolitanism, qualities that the working-class family hopes to pass on to their offspring by making these financial sacrifices. The tutor’s role extends well past teaching math and reading. They may even register the child for classes in things such as horseback riding and music, subscribing to the full scope of a holistic education.
Adam Caller emphasizes the significance of an English education, stating, “I think the fact that the world holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing and taking advantage of at the same time.” He further adds, “I don’t think that, as British people, we should be embarrassed by this. I think we should be proud of it.” UK supermajors and their government All this is indicative of a larger cultural and structural context that treats Britishness as a huge asset.
The family has learned from past experiences. They held off on bringing a tutor in until their eldest turned five. By making this decision, they might have unintentionally let cultural biases dictate their child’s identity. So when today’s parents and caretakers first lay eyes on their newborn, they’re equally set on not letting history repeat itself. According to Daniel, one of the family members, this was partly in order to break away from conventional UK educational models. Far from leaning into Englishness, Britishness, we wanted the complete reverse. We’re seeking to move up from the UK model and the straight-jacket of that,” he further explained.
The private-market demand for tutors who can offer such highly customized learning has exploded. In addition to the impressive annual salary rate of £180,000—just over $230,000—a huge pool of hundreds of applicants has already applied for the spot. Families are getting on-board with an upward movement. They are ready to spend serious bucks on stuff that they consider culturally enriching for their kids.
Laura Windsor, an etiquette coach who heads Laura Windsor’s Etiquette Academy, illustrates the importance of social grace in this context. She’s willing to teach kids anything, and she does—from taking afternoon tea to years-later conversations with adults who were her students. “It’s about opening doors, and saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, and thinking about the other person,” she remarked. Windsor believes that starting education early is crucial. She notes, “Starting at one, they will grow up being a gentleman, and therefore it’s not a question of ‘tweaking’, it’s who they are.”
This is another educational tenet that shines through in this family’s approach to education. They recognize that in an era increasingly influenced by Artificial Intelligence, teaching their child how to connect with others emotionally is paramount. The same family wants their child to learn skills that will help them flourish in a rapidly changing and complicated future.
Experts warn that cultural identity cannot be externally imposed or defined. Peter Cui observed, “The process of becoming bicultural, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered.” This view leads us to consider the merits of more systematic approaches to cultural education as opposed to organic development through lived experience.
Adam Caller, founder of the UK’s Interventions Initiative, admits that early years education favours immersion teaching and is opposed to explicit instruction. “A lot of the learning at the beginning here is kind of osmotic,” he stated. This systematic, deliberate approach has complemented the family’s pursuit of raising their children with cultural exposure and experiential learning.
This early on, the family has determined it’s best to hire a private tutor. This decision represents a watershed moment in the way parents are thinking about education. Their unique approach not only prioritizes academic success, but intentionally fosters manners and emotional IQ. This holistic view better prepares their child for a future in which creativity and technical expertise are increasingly important.
As this trend continues to gain momentum among discerning parents, it raises important discussions about identity, privilege, and the role of education in shaping future generations. Meeting an English gentleman is more than just perfecting an accent or learning proper tea-time etiquette. It’s about pursuing self-improvement and celebrating cultural diversity.
