"A family based in North London is looking for an extraordinary and qualified tutor to support their most junior child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might easily overlook the phrase "first-steps" as simple a turn of phrase.
However, it may be the most important part of this distinctive position posting, as it seeks to recruit a mentor for a one-year-old.
Many of applications have already been submitted since the unidentified family posted their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the listing has gained interest in the media, with numerous questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their quest, said that notwithstanding first skepticism, he considered the idea "visionary", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he said they recognized the unusual character of their request, and how young their son is.
But, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already taken hold".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", he answered. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the elder child had adopted "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family told him they hoped to prevent this pattern to repeat itself with their new baby.
The plan: To bring in a English tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the education at the beginning here is rather absorbed naturally," explained Adam.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will adopt the British traits they wish to instil.
He explained the tutor must be somebody who went to "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Money No Object
The family explained to the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in equestrian activities, skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Additionally though, he said the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son become a "UK sophisticate" will result in accomplishment and create opportunities.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he comments.
Yet, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "English culture", could the child absorb what is termed cultural bias from the international family he resides with in any case?
"Certainly", answered he. "The parents know this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who have these doubts.
Peter Cui, chief executive of an educational organization, who also offer personal educators, stated that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
He noted that he had moved from China to the UK at the time of seven, and had been educated experiencing and embodying two backgrounds. He progressed to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that one individual can function as a representation of UK identity, a person who can somehow transplant the attributes of a UK sophisticate onto a infant child, seems to me optimistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"From my perspective, engaging a quintessentially UK tutor from babyhood will will not necessarily achieve the goal they hope for.
"I did not have such a tutor, and yet I have been privileged enough to live several of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, personal identity should not be dictated from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, UK identity is something Adam thinks can be educated – and sold.
"I believe the fact that the international society views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
