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"Parents located in North London seeks an extraordinary and experienced educator to assist their youngest child on his initial journey to becoming an English gentleman."

Looking at this advertisement, you might easily skip the term "initial stages" as mere figurative language.

However, it could be the crucial element of this unique position posting, as it aims to find a teacher for a infant.

Numerous of applications have now been received since the unidentified family advertised their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".

During the past few weeks, the advert has received attention throughout the press, with many questioning why?

Progressive Approach

A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their quest, explained that in spite of early doubt, he found the concept "forward-looking", and "innovative".

When he met the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unusual character of their request, and how immature their son is.

Nevertheless, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural influence had by then set in".

But what does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?

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

He stated the older sibling had absorbed "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family informed him they wished to avoid history to repeat itself with their new baby.

The strategy: To bring in a UK tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to shape the baby from day one.

Subtle Influence

"A great deal of the learning at the beginning here is somewhat acquired indirectly," stated the CEO.

It's via this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will pick up the UK customs they want to impart.

He explained the tutor had to be someone who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".

"The tutor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he said.

Cost Not Relevant

The family explained to the expert the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in horse riding, alpine skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of interests.

Furthermore though, he said the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an instrument by the time they are around three years old".

In the family's view, assisting their son develop into a "British gentleman" will bring about achievement and create opportunities.

"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he comments.

Yet, in spite of all this guidance in "UK identity", might the child adopt so-called cultural influence from the multicultural family he lives with anyway?

"Certainly", said he. "The parents realize this could fail, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as quickly as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he explained.

Idealistic and Unrealistic

There are some in the education sector who express similar reservations.

An education leader, head and founder of a tutoring service, who supplies personal educators, commented that "the journey of embracing two identities, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."

The expert wrote that he had relocated from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the age of childhood, and had been educated understanding and practicing two backgrounds. He progressed to study at a prestigious UK institution.

"The notion that an individual can act as a living vessel of Britishness, someone who can somehow transfer the attributes of a English gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, seems to me naive and unrealistic," he commented.

"In my experience, employing a quintessentially English tutor from infancy will will not necessarily create the outcome they desire.

"I did not have such a figure, and yet I have been lucky enough to experience many of the opportunities they hope for their son."

He continued: "The reality is, self-identity can not be forced from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."

Purchasing UK Culture

Naturally, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be taught – and sold.

"I believe the situation that the international society holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating