"A family located in the northern part of London wants to find an extraordinary and qualified educator to guide their smallest child on his early path to turning into an English gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might readily skip the wording "first-steps" as mere figurative language.
But, it might be the most important aspect of this unique position posting, as it seeks to find a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of responses have since been received since the unnamed family advertised their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has received notice in the news, with several wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their hunt, stated that in spite of first scepticism, he considered the plan "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they appreciated the atypical character of their requirement, and how young their son is.
But, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already taken hold".
What precisely did the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam responded. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the elder child had absorbed "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family told the consultant they did not want the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The intention: To bring in a British tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the development at the start here is kind of absorbed naturally," explained the expert.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will pick up the English characteristics they aim to instil.
He said the tutor needed to be somebody who studied at "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in riding, skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a wide range of hobbies.
Additionally though, he said the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son grow into a "British gentleman" will lead to success and create opportunities.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he notes.
Yet, despite all this tutelage in "UK identity", would the child absorb so-called cultural leaning from the multicultural family he lives with regardless?
"Absolutely", answered he. "The family understand this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he said.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the tutoring industry who have those concerns.
An education leader, head and founder of Blue Education, who provides personal educators, commented that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
He noted that he had moved from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the time of seven, and had been brought up knowing and embodying two backgrounds. He continued to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that an individual can function as a embodiment of UK identity, someone who can possibly transplant the characteristics of a English gentleman upon a infant child, seems to me optimistic and impractical," he wrote.
"From my perspective, employing a typically English tutor from infancy will not instantly achieve the result they want.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to live several of the situations they hope for their son."
He added: "The truth is, cultural identity cannot be imposed from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, English culture is something the expert believes can be taught – and commercialized.
"I believe the situation that the global community views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
