"A family located in North London wants to find an extraordinary and experienced tutor to guide their youngest child on his initial journey to turning into an English gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might easily overlook the term "first-steps" as mere an expression.
Yet, it could be the most important aspect of this unique position posting, as it aims to recruit a tutor for a infant.
Many of responses have already been submitted since the anonymous family advertised their call for the highly paid tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
In recent few weeks, the advert has received attention in the media, with many wondering why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their quest, said that in spite of first doubt, he found the plan "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he noted they understood the unusual character of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
However, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
What exactly does the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam replied. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the elder child had absorbed "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family informed him they wished to avoid the same situation to happen again with their infant.
The intention: To hire a English tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to shape the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the development at the outset here is rather absorbed naturally," said the CEO.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will acquire the British traits they aim to impart.
He explained the tutor must be someone who attended "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told Adam the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to shape the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
More than that though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son develop into a "British gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and create opportunities.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he adds.
But, in spite of all this guidance in "Britishness", would the child absorb alleged cultural influence from the multicultural family he lives with in any case?
"Certainly", answered Adam. "The parents realize this could fail, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'we should try and we should start as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the education sector who share these concerns.
Another CEO, head and founder of Blue Education, who provides personal educators, wrote that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
The expert wrote that he had moved from China to the Britain at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised experiencing and living both cultures. He went on to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that an individual can serve as a embodiment of UK identity, an individual who can in some way impart the attributes of a British gentleman onto a infant child, strikes me as naive and unfeasible," he stated.
"In my experience, engaging a quintessentially English tutor from infancy will will not automatically produce the goal they desire.
"I did not have such a figure, and yet I have been privileged enough to experience numerous of the situations they desire for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, personal identity cannot be forced from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, Britishness is something Adam believes can be instructed – and sold.
"I think the situation that the world holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
