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"A family located in north London seeks an extraordinary and qualified educator to guide their smallest child on his early path to turning into an British gentleman."

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

Yet, it may be the crucial aspect of this unusual employment listing, as it attempts to hire a teacher for a one-year-old.

Many of responses have now been received since the unnamed family advertised their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".

During the past few weeks, the advert has attracted interest throughout the news, with many questioning why?

Progressive Approach

Adam Caller, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their search, stated that in spite of early doubt, he considered the concept "forward-looking", and "innovative".

When he consulted the family, he said they recognized the unusual nature of their demand, and how early in age their son is.

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

But what does the family mean by "cultural bias"?

It's "all-encompassing", the expert replied. "How you eat, the way you speak".

He explained the elder child had adopted "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family explained to him they did not want this pattern to recur with their new baby.

The plan: To bring in a British tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby right from the beginning.

Subtle Influence

"A great deal of the education at the outset here is somewhat absorbed naturally," said Adam.

It's via this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will adopt the English characteristics they want to cultivate.

He explained the tutor needed to be an individual who studied at "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".

"The educator must be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he added.

Cost Not Relevant

The family informed him the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in equestrian activities, skiing, creative fields and music so as to shape the child in a diverse set of passions.

Additionally though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a range of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".

In the family's view, helping their son grow into a "British gentleman" will bring about success and create opportunities.

"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he adds.

Yet, in spite of all this guidance in "English culture", might the child adopt alleged cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he lives with anyway?

"Certainly", said the CEO. "The family realize this may not work, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he said.

Impractical

Several in the private teaching field who express those concerns.

Peter Cui, head and founder of an educational organization, who supplies personal educators, stated that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."

He noted that he had moved from Asia to the Britain at the period of seven, and had been raised experiencing and embodying both cultures. He progressed to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.

"The concept that a single person can function as a embodiment of UK identity, a person who can somehow impart the qualities of a English gentleman to a infant child, seems to me naive and unrealistic," he stated.

"Based on my background, engaging a distinctly English tutor from infancy will will not automatically produce the goal they want.

"I did not have such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to experience several of the situations they desire for their son."

He stated: "The truth is, cultural identity can not be dictated from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."

Buying Britishness

Naturally, English culture is something the expert believes can be instructed – and sold.

"I believe the fact that the global community views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating