"Parents residing in north London wants to find an extraordinary and skilled tutor to support their youngest child on his early path to turning into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might readily skip the term "first-steps" as simple figurative language.
Yet, it could be the most important part of this unique position posting, as it attempts to hire a mentor for a infant.
Numerous of submissions have since been sent in since the anonymous family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the post has gained notice in the news, with numerous asking why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their hunt, stated that notwithstanding initial skepticism, he viewed the idea "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they recognized the unusual aspect of their request, and how young their son is.
But, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had by then become established".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam responded. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the firstborn had picked up "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family explained to the consultant they hoped to prevent history to happen again with their younger child.
The plan: To hire a English tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the education at the start here is rather acquired indirectly," stated the expert.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will pick up the UK customs they aim to cultivate.
The consultant said the tutor had to be somebody who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator must 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 explained to him the chosen tutor should preferably also have familiarity of or interest in horse riding, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to shape the child in a diverse set of interests.
Furthermore though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a range 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 perspective, assisting their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will result in achievement and open doors.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he notes.
However, in spite of all this instruction in "UK identity", would the child absorb what is termed cultural bias from the multicultural family he lives with in any case?
"Absolutely", answered the CEO. "The family realize this could fail, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as soon as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who share similar concerns.
Peter Cui, head and founder of a tutoring service, who provides private tutors, wrote that "the journey of embracing two identities, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
He noted that he had relocated from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the age of childhood, and had been raised knowing and embodying both cultures. He went on to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that an individual can act as a representation of UK identity, an individual who can in some way transplant the characteristics of a UK sophisticate upon a one-year-old child, strikes me as optimistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"From my perspective, engaging a quintessentially English tutor from early childhood will does not automatically produce the goal they want.
"I did not have such a figure, and yet I have been lucky enough to enjoy numerous of the situations they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, self-identity should not be forced from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Of course, Britishness is something the CEO thinks can be educated – and marketed.
"In my view the situation that the world regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
