"A family located in the northern part of London is looking for an exceptional and experienced educator to assist their youngest child on his first steps to becoming an English gentleman."
When reading this post, you might readily overlook the wording "first-steps" as just a turn of phrase.
Yet, it might be the most important element of this unique position posting, as it aims to recruit a tutor for a infant.
Many of responses have since been submitted since the unnamed family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the advert has gained notice in the media, with many questioning why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their hunt, stated that notwithstanding first doubt, he viewed the idea "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he said they appreciated the unusual nature of their request, and how young their son is.
However, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already set in".
What precisely does the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert answered. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the older sibling had absorbed "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family told him they wished to avoid history to happen again with their new baby.
The plan: To engage a British tutor, who should speak with RP, to shape the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the education at the outset here is somewhat absorbed naturally," said the CEO.
It's via this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will adopt the UK customs they aim to instil.
The consultant noted the tutor had to be somebody who attended "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Money No Object
The family informed him the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in equestrian activities, winter sports, the arts and musical activities so as to shape the child in a diverse set of passions.
Additionally though, he explained the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son become a "English gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and provide access.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he adds.
Yet, notwithstanding all this instruction in "English culture", could the child pick up so-called cultural influence from the multicultural family he lives with in any case?
"Absolutely", said the CEO. "The parents realize this may not work, but they've just taken the view of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as soon as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the education sector who have similar doubts.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who supplies personal educators, wrote that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
The expert noted that he had emigrated from the Far East to the Britain at the time of childhood, and had been educated knowing and living two backgrounds. He progressed to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that a single person can act as a living vessel of UK identity, an individual who can possibly impart the qualities of a British gentleman to a 12-month-old child, appears naive and unrealistic," he commented.
"Based on my background, engaging a quintessentially English tutor from infancy will not automatically achieve the result they hope for.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to experience many of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, cultural identity cannot be dictated from the outside; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, Britishness is something the CEO thinks can be taught – and marketed.
"I think the fact that the world regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
