"Parents located in the northern part of London seeks an exceptional and experienced tutor to guide their smallest child on his first steps to turning into an British gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might naturally skip the term "first-steps" as mere figurative language.
But, it may be the crucial part of this unique position posting, as it aims to hire a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of responses have now been received since the unidentified family posted their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted attention in the media, with many wondering why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their hunt, said that despite early skepticism, he considered the concept "visionary", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he noted they recognized the unusual nature of their request, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had by then become established".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", he answered. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the older sibling had adopted "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family told the consultant they wished to avoid the same situation to repeat itself with their new baby.
The strategy: To hire a English tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the learning at the beginning here is rather acquired indirectly," explained Adam.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will acquire the British traits they want to cultivate.
He explained the tutor needed to be somebody who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or interest in horse riding, alpine skiing, the arts and music so as to shape the child in a wide range of hobbies.
Additionally though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son become a "UK sophisticate" will lead to achievement and create opportunities.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he notes.
However, notwithstanding all this instruction in "Britishness", could the child adopt so-called cultural influence from the international family he is raised by in any case?
"Absolutely", answered Adam. "The family understand this could fail, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'we should try and we should start as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the private teaching field who express similar reservations.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who provides individual instructors, stated that "the process of embracing two identities, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
The expert explained that he had relocated from China to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been brought up experiencing and embodying two backgrounds. He continued to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that an individual can act as a representation of English culture, someone who can in some way transfer the characteristics of a UK sophisticate onto a one-year-old child, seems to me optimistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"From my perspective, employing a quintessentially British tutor from babyhood will not automatically produce the goal they desire.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to experience numerous of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, cultural identity should not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Of course, Britishness is something the expert thinks can be instructed – and marketed.
"I think the situation that the global community views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
