"Parents residing in the northern part of London wants to find an extraordinary and qualified educator to assist their smallest child on his initial journey to turning into an British gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might easily miss the term "first-steps" as simple an expression.
However, it might be the most important part of this unusual job advert, as it seeks to find a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of applications have since been received since the unnamed family posted their request for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the advert has gained attention in the press, with many questioning why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their hunt, stated that despite first skepticism, he viewed the idea "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he said they recognized the unconventional aspect of their demand, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert replied. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He explained the elder child had picked up "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family told the consultant they wished to avoid this pattern to happen again with their infant.
The strategy: To bring in a British tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the education at the outset here is somewhat acquired indirectly," explained the CEO.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will pick up the English characteristics they aim to cultivate.
Adam explained the tutor needed to be someone 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 appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told the expert the selected educator should preferably also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in riding, skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a wide range of hobbies.
More than that though, he explained the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son become a "English gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and open doors.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he comments.
However, despite all this instruction in "Britishness", would the child pick up so-called cultural influence from the multicultural family he lives with in any case?
"Certainly", said the CEO. "The family understand this could fail, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as soon as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the education sector who share these doubts.
An education leader, head and founder of Blue Education, who also offer individual instructors, wrote that "the journey of embracing two identities, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
The expert wrote that he had relocated from China to the Britain at the period of childhood, and had been raised understanding and living two backgrounds. He went on to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that a single person can serve as a representation of English culture, someone who can somehow transfer the qualities of a British gentleman to a infant child, appears naive and unrealistic," he stated.
"Based on my background, engaging a quintessentially UK tutor from early childhood will does not instantly create the goal they desire.
"I did not have such a figure, and however I have been lucky enough to live numerous of the situations they hope for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, personal identity cannot be imposed from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, UK identity is something the expert believes can be taught – and marketed.
"I think the fact that the world views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
