"A household located in north London is looking for an extraordinary and experienced tutor to assist their youngest child on his early path to turning into an English gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might readily skip the phrase "first-steps" as just figurative language.
However, it might be the most significant element of this unique employment listing, as it seeks to recruit a tutor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of submissions have since been sent in since the anonymous family published their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the advert has gained attention in the press, with several wondering why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their hunt, stated that notwithstanding initial scepticism, he viewed the plan "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he said they appreciated the unconventional character of their request, and how early in age their son is.
But, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had by then become established".
But what did the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam replied. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He said the firstborn had picked up "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family informed Adam they wished to avoid history to happen again with their new baby.
The strategy: To bring in a British tutor, who must speak with RP, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the education at the start here is kind of acquired indirectly," said Adam.
It's via this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will adopt the UK customs they want to impart.
Adam explained the tutor needed to be somebody who studied at "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they may not realize 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 passion in equestrian activities, winter sports, creative fields and musical activities so as to influence the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
More than that though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son develop into a "English gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and provide access.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he adds.
However, in spite of all this instruction in "English culture", could the child pick up what is termed cultural leaning from the multicultural family he lives with regardless?
"Yes", replied the CEO. "They understand this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as early as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he stated.
Impractical
There are some in the private teaching field who have these reservations.
Another CEO, head and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer individual instructors, commented that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
The expert explained that he had emigrated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the period of seven, and had been brought up experiencing and practicing two backgrounds. He progressed to study at Cambridge University.
"The concept that an individual can serve as a embodiment of English culture, a person who can somehow impart the qualities of a British gentleman upon a infant child, seems to me optimistic and unrealistic," he stated.
"From my perspective, engaging a distinctly UK tutor from early childhood will not instantly achieve the goal they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and however I have been privileged enough to experience many of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, personal identity can not be dictated from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, UK identity is something the expert believes can be taught – and sold.
"I think the situation that the global community regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
