"A family residing in North London seeks an remarkable and qualified tutor to guide their smallest child on his first steps to becoming an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might easily skip the wording "first-steps" as mere an expression.
But, it might be the most important element of this unusual job advert, as it attempts to hire a tutor for a one-year-old.
Many of responses have already been sent in since the unnamed family published their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the listing has gained interest throughout the media, with many wondering why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their quest, stated that in spite of initial skepticism, he viewed the plan "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they understood the unusual aspect of their request, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural bias had already set in".
What precisely did the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert answered. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He stated the elder child had adopted "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family informed the consultant they wished to avoid this pattern to repeat itself with their new baby.
The intention: To hire a British tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the development at the outset here is rather absorbed naturally," explained the expert.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will adopt the UK customs they wish to instil.
The consultant noted the tutor had to be somebody who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator must be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Money No Object
The family informed the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in riding, skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a wide range of hobbies.
More than that though, he said the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son become a "UK sophisticate" will result in accomplishment and create opportunities.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he notes.
But, notwithstanding all this guidance in "English culture", might the child absorb so-called cultural leaning from the multicultural family he lives with in any case?
"Absolutely", answered he. "The parents understand this could fail, but they've just taken the view of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who share these concerns.
Peter Cui, head and founder of a tutoring service, who provides individual instructors, stated that "the journey of embracing two identities, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
He noted that he had emigrated from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the age of childhood, and had been educated understanding and embodying both cultures. He went on to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that an individual can serve as a living vessel of UK identity, a person who can in some way transfer the characteristics of a UK sophisticate upon a one-year-old child, appears naive and impractical," he stated.
"In my experience, employing a quintessentially UK tutor from babyhood will will not instantly produce the goal they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and yet I have been lucky enough to live numerous of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, cultural identity cannot be dictated from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be taught – and marketed.
"In my view the fact that the world holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
