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"A household located in North London seeks an exceptional and experienced educator to assist their most junior child on his first steps to growing into an English gentleman."

Upon seeing this post, you might readily miss the phrase "first-steps" as just a turn of phrase.

Yet, it may be the most important part of this unique position posting, as it seeks to find a teacher for a infant.

Many of responses have since been submitted since the unidentified family advertised their search for the highly paid tutor, who must be "someone very special".

Over the last few weeks, the advert has gained notice throughout the news, with several wondering why?

Innovative Idea

The CEO, head and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their search, said that notwithstanding first scepticism, he viewed the plan "far sighted", and "advanced".

When he consulted the family, he noted they appreciated the unusual nature of their demand, and how immature their son is.

However, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had by then become established".

What precisely does the family refer to by "cultural bias"?

It's "everything", Adam answered. "The way you eat, how you speak".

He said the firstborn had adopted "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family informed him they wished to avoid the same situation to happen again with their younger child.

The strategy: To bring in a English tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby right from the beginning.

Natural Absorption

"A lot of the development at the start here is somewhat absorbed naturally," stated the CEO.

It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will pick up the English characteristics they wish to cultivate.

Adam explained the tutor had to be someone who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".

"The educator simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he said.

Money No Object

The family told Adam the chosen tutor should preferably also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in horse riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and music so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of passions.

Furthermore though, he explained the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".

In the family's perspective, assisting their son become a "British gentleman" will result in achievement and create opportunities.

"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he adds.

But, notwithstanding all this guidance in "Britishness", would the child absorb so-called cultural influence from the international family he is raised by regardless?

"Absolutely", answered Adam. "The family understand this could fail, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he said.

Impractical

A number of in the education sector who share these concerns.

An education leader, head and founder of Blue Education, who provides private tutors, stated that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."

He noted that he had emigrated from China to the United Kingdom at the age of 7 years old, and had been educated knowing and embodying two backgrounds. He continued to learn at Cambridge University.

"The notion that an individual can serve as a living vessel of Britishness, an individual who can somehow transfer the qualities of a English gentleman onto a infant child, seems to me idealistic and impractical," he stated.

"Based on my background, engaging a typically English tutor from early childhood will does not automatically achieve the outcome they desire.

"I never had such a tutor, and however I have been fortunate enough to enjoy several of the experiences they desire for their son."

He continued: "The reality is, self-identity cannot be dictated from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."

Buying Britishness

Certainly, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be instructed – and commercialized.

"I think the fact that the world holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating