Meet the Super Tutor; They're Hired to Teach Five-Year-Olds Ancient Greek, Chinese and Philosophy -- and Perks Include Vintage Bubbly, Priceless Antiques and Holidays on Private Jets

Byline: by Sasha Slater

PERSONAL TRAINERS, motivational coaches, housekeepers, hairdressers, stylists and butlers used to be the fashion-conscious celebrity's status symbols of choice.

But these days, if a pop star or actor hasn't acquired a super-tutor, fluent in Ancient Greek and conversational Latin, they're risking severe loss of face.

Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin's decision to advertise for a [pounds sterling]62,100-a-year genius to teach little Moses, five, and Apple, seven, art, painting, drama, tennis, chess, Mandarin Chinese, sailing, philosophy and French as well as Latin and Greek, has just d th t f l upped the ante for everyone else.

For it is not enough that parents should endow libraries and bribe admissions secretaries to ensure their offspring win a place at a top prep school; children of the rich and famous also have to submit to hours outside school-time having their skills honed by a tutor.

This is to guarantee that boys get into Eton, Westminster, Winchester or Harrow and girls beat the competition to Wycombe Abbey, Cheltenham Ladies' College or St Paul's School for Girls.

Frighteningly, according to Ellen Semler, an American writer …

Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www.questia.com
Publication information: Article title: Meet the Super Tutor; They're Hired to Teach Five-Year-Olds Ancient Greek, Chinese and Philosophy -- and Perks Include Vintage Bubbly, Priceless Antiques and Holidays on Private Jets. Contributors: Not available. Newspaper title: Daily Mail (London). Publication date: June 10, 2011. Page number: 35. © 2007 Daily Mail. COPYRIGHT 2011 Gale Group.

This material is protected by copyright and, with the exception of fair use, may not be further copied, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means.