"A family residing in the northern part of London seeks an remarkable and skilled tutor to assist their youngest child on his first steps to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might naturally skip the term "first-steps" as mere figurative language.
But, it could be the most significant aspect of this unique position posting, as it attempts to find a mentor for a infant.
Numerous of submissions have since been sent in since the unidentified family published their call for the highly paid tutor, who must be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the advert has attracted attention in the news, with several wondering why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their search, explained that despite initial skepticism, he considered the idea "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unconventional aspect of their requirement, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already become established".
What precisely does the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", he answered. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the firstborn had picked up "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family informed him they did not want history to happen again with their new baby.
The intention: To bring in a British tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the education at the beginning here is rather acquired indirectly," said the expert.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will acquire the British traits they wish to cultivate.
Adam explained the tutor needed to be someone who attended "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Money No Object
The family informed Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in equestrian activities, winter sports, creative fields and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Additionally though, he said the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a range of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son become a "English gentleman" will lead to success and create opportunities.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he notes.
But, in spite of all this instruction in "English culture", might the child absorb alleged cultural influence from the multicultural family he is raised by anyway?
"Certainly", replied the CEO. "The family understand this could fail, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'we should try and we should start as soon as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the tutoring industry who have these concerns.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who provides individual instructors, stated that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
The expert wrote that he had relocated from Asia to the Britain at the time of childhood, and had been brought up understanding and living two backgrounds. He went on to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that an individual can act as a representation of Britishness, a person who can in some way transfer the attributes of a UK sophisticate upon a infant child, seems to me naive and impractical," he commented.
"From my perspective, engaging a typically British tutor from babyhood will not automatically create the outcome they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and however I have been lucky enough to enjoy several of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He added: "The reality is, cultural identity cannot be imposed from the outside; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, English culture is something the CEO hopes can be taught – and sold.
"In my view the fact that the international society regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
