"A household residing in the northern part of London seeks an exceptional and skilled educator to guide their youngest child on his first steps to growing into an English gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might easily overlook the phrase "first-steps" as just an expression.
However, it could be the crucial aspect of this unusual job advert, as it seeks to recruit a teacher for a infant.
Hundreds of responses have now been received since the unidentified family published their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the advert has gained attention in the press, with numerous wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their quest, said that notwithstanding early scepticism, he considered the plan "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he said they recognized the atypical character of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already set in".
What precisely does the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam answered. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the elder child had adopted "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family informed him they hoped to prevent the same situation to happen again with their infant.
The plan: To hire a UK tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the development at the outset here is rather absorbed naturally," explained the expert.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will pick up the British traits they wish to cultivate.
The consultant said the tutor needed to be somebody who studied at "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told him the successful candidate should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's minds, assisting their son grow into a "British gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and open doors.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he adds.
Yet, in spite of all this instruction in "English culture", could the child absorb what is termed cultural leaning from the international family he lives with regardless?
"Certainly", said the CEO. "They realize this could fail, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he stated.
Impractical
A number of in the tutoring industry who express these reservations.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer private tutors, stated that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
Peter wrote that he had relocated from China to the Britain at the age of 7 years old, and had been brought up experiencing and embodying dual heritages. He went on to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that one individual can serve as a representation of English culture, an individual who can somehow transplant the qualities of a English gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, seems to me idealistic and impractical," he wrote.
"Based on my background, engaging a typically UK tutor from babyhood will not automatically achieve the result they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and yet I have been lucky enough to experience numerous of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, self-identity should not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, UK identity is something the CEO hopes can be educated – and sold.
"In my view the reality that the international society views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
