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"A household located in the northern part of London is looking for an extraordinary and qualified instructor to assist their most junior child on his first steps to turning into an English gentleman."

Upon seeing this listing, you might readily miss the phrase "first-steps" as simple figurative language.

Yet, it might be the most important element of this unique job advert, as it aims to hire a teacher for a infant.

Many of submissions have now been submitted since the unnamed family published their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".

During the past few weeks, the advert has gained attention throughout the press, with several questioning why?

Progressive Approach

A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their quest, said that despite early skepticism, he viewed the concept "far sighted", and "advanced".

When he consulted the family, he said they recognized the unconventional character of their demand, and how immature their son is.

But, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural influence had by then become established".

What exactly does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?

It's "everything", Adam replied. "How you eat, the way you speak".

He said the elder child had adopted "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family told the consultant they did not want the same situation to repeat itself with their new baby.

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

Natural Absorption

"A lot of the learning at the start here is kind of acquired indirectly," stated the CEO.

It's via this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will adopt the English characteristics they aim to impart.

Adam said the tutor must be an individual who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".

"The tutor just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.

Money No Object

The family informed him the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or passion in horse riding, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of hobbies.

Additionally though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an tool by the time they are around three years old".

In the family's minds, helping their son become a "UK sophisticate" will lead to success and create opportunities.

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

Yet, despite all this instruction in "Britishness", would the child pick up alleged cultural influence from the international family he is raised by anyway?

"Absolutely", said the CEO. "The parents understand this may not work, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as early as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he said.

Overly Optimistic

Several in the tutoring industry who have similar concerns.

An education leader, chief executive of Blue Education, who supplies private tutors, commented that "the journey of embracing two identities, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."

The expert explained that he had moved from the Far East to the Britain at the age of childhood, and had been raised experiencing and living dual heritages. He continued to be educated at Cambridge University.

"The notion that a single person can function as a representation of English culture, an individual who can in some way transfer the characteristics of a UK sophisticate to a infant child, seems to me naive and unfeasible," he stated.

"From my perspective, employing a typically UK tutor from babyhood will will not automatically produce the outcome they desire.

"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to live several of the situations they desire for their son."

He continued: "The truth is, self-identity cannot be forced from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."

Purchasing UK Culture

Of course, Britishness is something Adam thinks can be taught – and marketed.

"I think the reality that the world regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating