"A household based in north London is looking for an exceptional and qualified educator to guide their smallest child on his initial journey to becoming an English gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might easily miss the wording "first-steps" as mere a turn of phrase.
But, it could be the crucial aspect of this distinctive position posting, as it aims to recruit a tutor for a one-year-old.
Many of responses have already been received since the unnamed family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted attention across the news, with numerous wondering why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their quest, stated that notwithstanding first scepticism, he found the concept "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they recognized the unusual nature of their demand, and how immature their son is.
But, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had by then become established".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert responded. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He said the older sibling had absorbed "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family informed him they did not want the same situation to happen again with their new baby.
The intention: To bring in a English tutor, who should speak with RP, to guide the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the learning at the beginning here is rather absorbed naturally," said Adam.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will adopt the British traits they want to cultivate.
Adam said the tutor had to be an individual who went to "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Money No Object
The family informed him the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or passion in horse riding, winter sports, creative fields and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
More than that though, he said the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, assisting their son become a "UK sophisticate" will result in achievement and create opportunities.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he comments.
Yet, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "English culture", might the child adopt so-called cultural bias from the multicultural family he lives with in any case?
"Yes", replied he. "The parents know this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he stated.
Impractical
A number of in the education sector who have those doubts.
An education leader, head and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer individual instructors, wrote that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
Peter explained that he had moved from China to the Britain at the age of childhood, and had been raised experiencing and living two backgrounds. He progressed to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that an individual can act as a representation of English culture, someone who can in some way transplant the characteristics of a British gentleman upon a infant child, strikes me as naive and unrealistic," he commented.
"From my perspective, having a distinctly UK tutor from infancy will will not instantly create the result they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to live several of the situations they desire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, cultural identity cannot be forced from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, UK identity is something the expert hopes can be instructed – and sold.
"I think the reality that the world holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
