"A household residing in the northern part of London wants to find an extraordinary and experienced educator to guide their smallest child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might easily miss the wording "first-steps" as simple an expression.
Yet, it could be the crucial part of this unusual job advert, as it aims to recruit a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of applications have already been sent in since the unidentified family published their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the listing has received interest throughout the press, with many questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their search, explained that notwithstanding initial doubt, he considered the plan "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he said they appreciated the unusual nature of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already set in".
But what did the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert responded. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the older sibling had absorbed "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family informed him they wished to avoid history to recur with their new baby.
The plan: To engage a British tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to influence the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the development at the outset here is kind of absorbed naturally," explained the expert.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will acquire the UK customs they wish to cultivate.
He noted the tutor had to be someone who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed him the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or passion in riding, skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
More than that though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will lead to success and open doors.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he notes.
Yet, despite all this instruction in "English culture", could the child absorb what is termed cultural bias from the globally influenced family he is raised by regardless?
"Certainly", answered the CEO. "The family understand this may not work, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as early as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he stated.
Impractical
There are some in the private teaching field who express those doubts.
An education leader, head and founder of Blue Education, who supplies private tutors, commented that "the process of embracing two identities, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
The expert noted that he had moved from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the time of 7 years old, and had been educated understanding and living two backgrounds. He continued to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that a single person can act as a living vessel of UK identity, someone who can possibly transfer the characteristics of a English gentleman to a 12-month-old child, appears idealistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"Based on my background, engaging a quintessentially UK tutor from babyhood will not instantly achieve the outcome they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to enjoy numerous of the experiences they hope for their son."
He added: "The truth is, cultural identity should not be imposed from the outside; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, Britishness is something the CEO believes can be taught – and marketed.
"I think the situation that the global community views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
