"A family residing in North London is looking for an remarkable and skilled tutor to assist their youngest child on his early path to growing into an English gentleman."
When reading this post, you might easily miss the wording "first-steps" as mere figurative language.
However, it could be the most important aspect of this distinctive employment listing, as it seeks to recruit a teacher for a one-year-old.
Many of applications have now been sent in since the unnamed family posted their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the post has attracted interest in the news, with many asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their quest, explained that despite initial skepticism, he considered the idea "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he mentioned they appreciated the atypical nature of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already set in".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", he answered. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He explained the older sibling had adopted "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family informed the consultant they wished to avoid the same situation to happen again with their younger child.
The strategy: To bring in a UK tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to influence the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the learning at the beginning here is kind of osmotic," stated Adam.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will pick up the British traits they want to impart.
He noted the tutor had to be someone who attended "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in horse riding, alpine skiing, the arts and music so as to shape the child in a wide range of passions.
More than that though, he said the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will result in success and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he comments.
Yet, in spite of all this instruction in "UK identity", could the child absorb so-called cultural influence from the international family he lives with regardless?
"Yes", replied Adam. "The family understand this could fail, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'we should try and we should start as early as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he said.
Impractical
Several in the private teaching field who share those doubts.
Peter Cui, head and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer personal educators, commented that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
Peter noted that he had moved from Asia to the United Kingdom at the period of 7 years old, and had been brought up knowing and practicing two backgrounds. He went on to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The idea that one individual can act as a embodiment of English culture, an individual who can in some way impart the characteristics of a British gentleman to a infant child, appears naive and impractical," he commented.
"From my perspective, having a typically English tutor from infancy will not automatically create the goal they want.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to enjoy many of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, cultural identity should not be forced from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, UK identity is something Adam believes can be taught – and commercialized.
"In my view the reality that the world regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
