🔗 Share this article

"A household located in North London seeks an exceptional and qualified instructor to support their youngest child on his early path to turning into an British gentleman."

When reading this listing, you might naturally miss the phrase "first-steps" as mere an expression.

Yet, it might be the most important part of this unusual position posting, as it attempts to recruit a tutor for a 12-month-old.

Many of submissions have already been received since the anonymous family advertised their search for the highly paid tutor, who must be "someone very special".

In recent few weeks, the advert has received attention in the media, with several questioning why?

Innovative Idea

The CEO, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their hunt, said that notwithstanding early doubt, he viewed the plan "forward-looking", and "innovative".

When he met the family, he mentioned they understood the atypical nature of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.

Nevertheless, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already become established".

What exactly does the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?

It's "comprehensive", Adam responded. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".

He said the firstborn had absorbed "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family told him they wished to avoid history to happen again with their new baby.

The plan: To bring in a English tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from the very start.

Natural Absorption

"A great deal of the learning at the outset here is somewhat osmotic," explained the CEO.

It's via this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will adopt the UK customs they want to instil.

He said the tutor had to be somebody who studied at "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".

"The tutor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he said.

Expense Not a Factor

The family explained to Adam the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in horse riding, alpine skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to shape the child in a wide range of interests.

Furthermore though, he said the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a selection 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 perspective, assisting their son develop into a "English gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and provide access.

"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he notes.

Yet, despite all this guidance in "UK identity", would the child absorb so-called cultural bias from the international family he is raised by regardless?

"Certainly", answered he. "They realize this could fail, but they've just taken the view of, 'we should try and we should start as early as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he said.

Impractical

A number of in the education sector who express similar concerns.

Peter Cui, head and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer personal educators, stated that "the journey of embracing two identities, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."

The expert noted that he had emigrated from Asia to the UK at the time of seven, and had been educated experiencing and practicing both cultures. He progressed to study at the University of Cambridge.

"The idea that one individual can function as a representation of UK identity, a person who can possibly transfer the characteristics of a English gentleman upon a one-year-old child, seems to me naive and unfeasible," he commented.

"In my experience, employing a typically English tutor from babyhood will not necessarily produce the goal they desire.

"I never had that kind of mentor, and however I have been lucky enough to experience many of the opportunities they hope for their son."

He continued: "The fact is, cultural identity should not be imposed from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."

Purchasing UK Culture

Of course, UK identity is something the expert believes can be taught – and marketed.

"In my view the reality that the international society holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating