"A household located in the northern part of London is looking for an remarkable and experienced instructor to guide their youngest child on his initial journey to turning into an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might naturally overlook the phrase "first-steps" as simple figurative language.
However, it may be the most important aspect of this unusual position posting, as it aims to find a mentor for a infant.
Hundreds of submissions have already been received since the unidentified family published their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the post has received notice throughout the media, with numerous asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their hunt, stated that notwithstanding early skepticism, he viewed the plan "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he noted they appreciated the atypical aspect of their demand, and how young their son is.
But, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had by then taken hold".
What exactly does the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert answered. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the firstborn had picked up "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family explained to the consultant they wished to avoid this pattern to repeat itself with their younger child.
The strategy: To engage a British tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the learning at the outset here is rather osmotic," stated the expert.
It's via this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will adopt the UK customs they wish to cultivate.
The consultant said the tutor had to be an individual who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed him the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in riding, winter sports, creative fields and music so as to inspire the child in a wide range of interests.
Furthermore though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son develop into a "English gentleman" will lead to achievement and create opportunities.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he adds.
However, despite all this tutelage in "English culture", would the child adopt alleged cultural bias from the multicultural family he is raised by in any case?
"Absolutely", replied he. "The parents understand this could fail, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he explained.
Impractical
A number of in the education sector who express similar doubts.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who supplies individual instructors, commented that "the process of embracing two identities, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
Peter wrote that he had relocated from Asia to the Britain at the period of 7 years old, and had been educated experiencing and living both cultures. He progressed to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that an individual can serve as a living vessel of English culture, an individual who can possibly transfer the attributes of a British gentleman upon a one-year-old child, appears naive and unrealistic," he commented.
"In my experience, having a distinctly British tutor from infancy will will not instantly produce the result they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and yet I have been fortunate enough to experience several of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, self-identity can not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the CEO believes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I think the situation that the international society regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
