"A family based in North London seeks an extraordinary and experienced educator to assist their smallest child on his first steps to growing into an English gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might naturally miss the term "first-steps" as mere figurative language.
But, it may be the most important part of this unique employment listing, as it aims to find a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Many of responses have now been submitted since the anonymous family advertised their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the post has attracted interest in the press, with several questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their hunt, said that despite initial skepticism, he viewed the plan "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he said they recognized the atypical character of their request, and how immature their son is.
But, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural influence had by then set in".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert replied. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the older sibling had absorbed "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family told the consultant they hoped to prevent this pattern to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To engage a English tutor, who must speak with RP, to influence the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the education at the beginning here is somewhat acquired indirectly," explained the expert.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will pick up the British traits they aim to impart.
He explained the tutor must be somebody who attended "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to Adam the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, winter sports, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
More than that though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son become a "UK sophisticate" will result in accomplishment and open doors.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he adds.
Yet, despite all this guidance in "Britishness", might the child adopt alleged cultural leaning from the multicultural family he lives with anyway?
"Absolutely", said he. "The family understand this could fail, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'we should try and let's go as early as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Impractical
A number of in the education sector who share similar concerns.
Another CEO, head and founder of an educational organization, who also offer individual instructors, commented that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
Peter wrote that he had relocated from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the time of seven, and had been brought up knowing and practicing both cultures. He continued to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that one individual can function as a representation of English culture, someone who can possibly impart the attributes of a British gentleman onto a infant child, seems to me idealistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"Based on my background, engaging a quintessentially English tutor from early childhood will will not instantly achieve the result they hope for.
"I never had such a tutor, and however I have been lucky enough to experience several of the situations they desire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, self-identity cannot be imposed from the outside; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, UK identity is something Adam hopes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"In my view the fact that the world views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
