"A household residing in the northern part of London is looking for an exceptional and experienced educator to support their smallest child on his first steps to turning into an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might naturally skip the term "first-steps" as just figurative language.
But, it could be the most significant aspect of this unusual employment listing, as it aims to recruit a tutor for a infant.
Numerous of applications have since been sent in since the unnamed family published their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the listing has gained attention in the press, with many asking why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their hunt, explained that in spite of early doubt, he found the concept "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unusual aspect of their demand, and how young their son is.
But, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already taken hold".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", he answered. "How you eat, how you speak".
He said the elder child had absorbed "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family told the consultant they did not want this pattern to recur with their infant.
The intention: To bring in a English tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the education at the beginning here is rather acquired indirectly," explained Adam.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will pick up the UK customs they aim to instil.
He said the tutor needed to be an individual who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in equestrian activities, winter sports, artistic pursuits and music so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Additionally though, he said the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will result in success and provide access.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he adds.
However, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "Britishness", might the child absorb alleged cultural bias from the international family he is raised by anyway?
"Certainly", said Adam. "The parents know this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the private teaching field who share these concerns.
Peter Cui, chief executive of Blue Education, who also offer personal educators, commented that "the process of becoming bicultural, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
Peter wrote that he had moved from Asia to the UK at the period of seven, and had been brought up experiencing and practicing dual heritages. He progressed to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that a single person can act as a embodiment of English culture, a person who can possibly transfer the characteristics of a British gentleman upon a one-year-old child, strikes me as optimistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"Based on my background, having a quintessentially British tutor from babyhood will does not necessarily produce the result they hope for.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and however I have been fortunate enough to enjoy many of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, self-identity should not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the CEO believes can be educated – and commercialized.
"In my view the reality that the global community views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
