"A family residing in North London is looking for an remarkable and skilled educator to assist their smallest child on his initial journey to growing into an English gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might easily overlook the phrase "first-steps" as just figurative language.
But, it might be the crucial aspect of this distinctive position posting, as it seeks to find a mentor for a infant.
Hundreds of applications have since been submitted since the anonymous family advertised their call for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has received interest throughout the press, with numerous wondering why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their hunt, stated that notwithstanding initial scepticism, he considered the concept "visionary", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they understood the unusual character of their requirement, and how young their son is.
However, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already become established".
But what did the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", the expert responded. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He said the firstborn had absorbed "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family told the consultant they wished to avoid this pattern to repeat itself with their infant.
The plan: To bring in a English tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the learning at the outset here is somewhat acquired indirectly," said Adam.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will acquire the British traits they want to instil.
The consultant said the tutor had to be someone who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of passions.
Furthermore though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son become a "British gentleman" will lead to achievement and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he adds.
But, despite all this instruction in "English culture", might the child absorb alleged cultural bias from the globally influenced family he resides with regardless?
"Yes", said Adam. "The parents understand this could fail, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the tutoring industry who share these reservations.
An education leader, head and founder of Blue Education, who provides individual instructors, wrote that "the process of becoming bicultural, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
The expert noted that he had relocated from the Far East to the Britain at the time of childhood, and had been educated experiencing and embodying two backgrounds. He continued to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that one individual can function as a embodiment of Britishness, someone who can possibly impart the characteristics of a UK sophisticate to a infant child, appears naive and impractical," he commented.
"From my perspective, engaging a quintessentially English tutor from babyhood will does not automatically create the outcome they desire.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and however I have been privileged enough to enjoy several of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, cultural identity should not be dictated from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, English culture is something the expert thinks can be educated – and marketed.
"I think the reality that the international society views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
