"A household located in North London wants to find an exceptional and qualified educator to assist their smallest child on his first steps to becoming an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might easily miss the wording "first-steps" as mere an expression.
However, it might be the most important element of this unique job advert, as it seeks to find a mentor for a one-year-old.
Many of responses have already been sent in since the unidentified family published their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the post has gained interest across the news, with several questioning why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their quest, said that notwithstanding first doubt, he considered the idea "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he mentioned they understood the unconventional aspect of their request, and how immature their son is.
However, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already become established".
What exactly did the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam responded. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the older sibling had absorbed "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family informed the consultant they did not want this pattern to repeat itself with their new baby.
The intention: To bring in a UK tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the development at the start here is rather osmotic," stated Adam.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will adopt the English characteristics they aim to cultivate.
Adam noted the tutor must be someone who attended "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Money No Object
The family told the expert the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in horse riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and music so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
More than that though, he said the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son develop into a "English gentleman" will lead to success and create opportunities.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he comments.
But, despite all this instruction in "English culture", would the child adopt alleged cultural leaning from the multicultural family he resides with anyway?
"Yes", said Adam. "The parents know this could fail, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as early as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Impractical
A number of in the education sector who share these doubts.
Peter Cui, head and founder of a tutoring service, who provides private tutors, commented that "the process of embracing two identities, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
He explained that he had emigrated from China to the United Kingdom at the period of 7 years old, and had been raised knowing and embodying two backgrounds. He went on to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that a single person can act as a representation of English culture, an individual who can somehow transfer the attributes of a UK sophisticate to a one-year-old child, seems to me naive and unrealistic," he commented.
"From my perspective, having a typically English tutor from infancy will not necessarily create the goal they want.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to enjoy several of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, cultural identity can not be dictated from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Of course, English culture is something Adam hopes can be educated – and sold.
"In my view the situation that the world views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
