"A family residing in north London is looking for an extraordinary and qualified tutor to guide their smallest child on his first steps to becoming an British gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might readily skip the term "first-steps" as just a turn of phrase.
However, it might be the crucial element of this unique position posting, as it attempts to find a mentor for a infant.
Numerous of responses have already been sent in since the unidentified family published their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the listing has gained attention in the press, with many questioning why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their quest, explained that notwithstanding initial scepticism, he found the idea "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he noted they appreciated the unusual nature of their demand, and how immature their son is.
However, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already set in".
What precisely does the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", he responded. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the firstborn had picked up "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family informed him they did not want this pattern to recur with their younger child.
The strategy: To engage a British tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the education at the start here is kind of absorbed naturally," explained the CEO.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will acquire the English characteristics they aim to cultivate.
He said the tutor must be someone who studied at "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to the expert the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in equestrian activities, skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to influence the child in a diverse set of interests.
Furthermore though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son grow into a "British gentleman" will result in accomplishment and create opportunities.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he adds.
Yet, despite all this guidance in "UK identity", might the child absorb alleged cultural leaning from the multicultural family he resides with in any case?
"Absolutely", answered he. "They realize this could fail, but they've just taken the view of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as early as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the private teaching field who have those doubts.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who provides individual instructors, wrote that "the development of becoming bicultural, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
The expert wrote that he had emigrated from the Far East to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been educated understanding and embodying both cultures. He continued to learn at Cambridge University.
"The idea that one individual can act as a embodiment of UK identity, a person who can somehow transplant the characteristics of a English gentleman upon a one-year-old child, appears idealistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"In my experience, having a typically UK tutor from infancy will does not necessarily create the result they desire.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and however I have been lucky enough to enjoy numerous of the experiences they hope for their son."
He stated: "The reality is, cultural identity should not be dictated from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, Britishness is something Adam thinks can be taught – and sold.
"In my view the reality that the international society holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
