"A family located in North London is looking for an remarkable and experienced tutor to assist their youngest child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might readily overlook the term "first-steps" as simple an expression.
However, it may be the most significant element of this unusual job advert, as it seeks to find a mentor for a one-year-old.
Numerous of applications have now been sent in since the anonymous family advertised their call for the highly paid tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the post has gained notice across the media, with numerous asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their hunt, said that in spite of first doubt, he found the concept "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he noted they appreciated the atypical aspect of their request, and how young their son is.
But, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural bias had already set in".
What exactly did the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam answered. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the elder child had picked up "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family informed Adam they hoped to prevent the same situation to recur with their new baby.
The plan: To bring in a UK tutor, who must speak with RP, to guide the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the education at the beginning here is kind of acquired indirectly," said the CEO.
It's through this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will pick up the UK customs they want to impart.
He explained the tutor had to be somebody who attended "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Money No Object
The family informed him the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or passion in equestrian activities, winter sports, artistic pursuits and music so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Furthermore though, he said the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a range of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will result in accomplishment and open doors.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he comments.
However, notwithstanding all this guidance in "UK identity", would the child pick up so-called cultural influence from the multicultural family he is raised by anyway?
"Yes", said the CEO. "The parents understand this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'we should try and let's go as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he stated.
Impractical
Several in the private teaching field who express similar reservations.
An education leader, chief executive of Blue Education, who provides personal educators, stated that "the development of becoming bicultural, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
He noted that he had emigrated from the Far East to the UK at the period of childhood, and had been brought up understanding and practicing two backgrounds. He progressed to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The idea that an individual can function as a embodiment of Britishness, someone who can in some way transplant the characteristics of a English gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, appears naive and impractical," he wrote.
"From my perspective, employing a quintessentially UK tutor from infancy will will not necessarily produce the outcome they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and however I have been lucky enough to enjoy several of the experiences they hope for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, cultural identity should not be dictated from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, Britishness is something the expert thinks can be instructed – and marketed.
"I think the fact that the global community views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
