"A household located in the northern part of London seeks an remarkable and qualified educator to support their most junior child on his first steps to turning into an English gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might easily miss the term "first-steps" as just a turn of phrase.
But, it may be the crucial element of this unique job advert, as it attempts to recruit a tutor for a infant.
Numerous of submissions have since been received since the anonymous family published their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the listing has attracted notice throughout the news, with several questioning why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, chief executive of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their quest, explained that notwithstanding initial scepticism, he considered the concept "visionary", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unconventional nature of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
But, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already set in".
What precisely does the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert responded. "How you eat, how you speak".
He explained the firstborn had picked up "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family told Adam they did not want the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To bring in a British tutor, who should speak with RP, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the development at the start here is rather absorbed naturally," explained the CEO.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will pick up the British traits they wish to impart.
The consultant said the tutor must be someone who attended "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed him the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in riding, winter sports, creative fields and music so as to influence the child in a diverse set of interests.
More than that though, he said the family desired the tutor to register the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, assisting their son develop into a "English gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and open doors.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he adds.
Yet, despite all this tutelage in "UK identity", might the child absorb so-called cultural influence from the globally influenced family he lives with anyway?
"Certainly", said the CEO. "The parents understand this may not work, 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 price of it is not a concern," he said.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the private teaching field who have these doubts.
An education leader, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who supplies private tutors, commented that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
The expert noted that he had emigrated from Asia to the UK at the period of 7 years old, and had been raised understanding and embodying dual heritages. He progressed to study at Cambridge University.
"The concept that a single person can act as a embodiment of English culture, someone who can possibly transfer the attributes of a British gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, seems to me naive and unrealistic," he stated.
"In my experience, having a quintessentially British tutor from infancy will does not automatically create the result they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to enjoy numerous of the experiences they desire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, self-identity can not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, English culture is something the CEO believes can be instructed – and sold.
"I think the reality that the international society regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
