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"A family located in the northern part of London seeks an extraordinary and skilled educator to support their most junior child on his initial journey to turning into an English gentleman."

Looking at this listing, you might easily skip the wording "first-steps" as just figurative language.

But, it may be the most important element of this unusual position posting, as it attempts to hire a tutor for a one-year-old.

Many of applications have now been submitted since the unidentified family published their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".

In recent few weeks, the post has attracted interest throughout the media, with many questioning why?

Forward-Thinking Method

A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their search, explained that notwithstanding early scepticism, he considered the plan "far sighted", and "advanced".

When he consulted the family, he noted they recognized the unconventional aspect of their request, and how young their son is.

However, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already taken hold".

But what did the family refer to by "cultural bias"?

It's "all-encompassing", Adam replied. "The way you eat, the way you speak".

He said the older sibling had absorbed "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family informed Adam they wished to avoid the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.

The strategy: To bring in a British tutor, who should speak with RP, to influence the baby right from the beginning.

Natural Absorption

"A great deal of the education at the start here is rather osmotic," said the CEO.

It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will pick up the British traits they aim to impart.

Adam explained the tutor must be somebody who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".

"The educator simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he added.

Money No Object

The family informed him the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or passion in equestrian activities, skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to influence the child in a wide range of interests.

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

In the family's minds, assisting their son become a "UK sophisticate" will bring about accomplishment and provide access.

"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he notes.

But, notwithstanding all this guidance in "English culture", could the child absorb what is termed cultural leaning from the international family he is raised by regardless?

"Absolutely", replied the CEO. "The family know this could fail, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as early as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he stated.

Idealistic and Unrealistic

There are some in the tutoring industry who share those doubts.

An education leader, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who provides personal educators, stated that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."

The expert noted that he had emigrated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the period of childhood, and had been raised knowing and living dual heritages. He went on to study at a prestigious UK institution.

"The idea that an individual can function as a living vessel of English culture, an individual who can possibly transplant the attributes of a British gentleman upon a infant child, strikes me as optimistic and unfeasible," he stated.

"In my experience, having a distinctly English tutor from infancy will will not necessarily create the outcome they want.

"I did not have that kind of mentor, and however I have been fortunate enough to live numerous of the experiences they desire for their son."

He continued: "The reality is, cultural identity cannot be dictated from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."

Acquiring Englishness

Of course, English culture is something the expert believes can be taught – and marketed.

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