"A household located in the northern part of London wants to find an exceptional and experienced educator to support their youngest child on his first steps to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might naturally skip the wording "first-steps" as mere an expression.
However, it might be the most significant element of this distinctive position posting, as it seeks to find a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Many of applications have now been submitted since the unidentified family posted their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the advert has attracted attention across the media, with many wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, head and founder of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their hunt, said that in spite of first skepticism, he viewed the plan "visionary", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he noted they appreciated the unusual character of their demand, and how young their son is.
But, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already become established".
But what did the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert responded. "How you eat, how you speak".
He said the elder child had adopted "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family explained to him they did not want the same situation to repeat itself with their younger child.
The intention: To engage a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the development at the outset here is rather osmotic," explained Adam.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will adopt the English characteristics they wish to instil.
The consultant said the tutor must be somebody who studied at "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor must be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Money No Object
The family told Adam the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in riding, skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a diverse set of passions.
More than that though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will lead to accomplishment and provide access.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he adds.
However, in spite of all this instruction in "Britishness", could the child absorb so-called cultural leaning from the multicultural family he is raised by regardless?
"Certainly", said the CEO. "The family know this could fail, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'we should try and we should start as early as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he said.
Impractical
Several in the private teaching field who express these doubts.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who also offer personal educators, commented that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
Peter wrote that he had moved from Asia to the UK at the time of childhood, and had been educated knowing and living dual heritages. He continued to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that an individual can function as a representation of UK identity, a person who can somehow impart the characteristics of a UK sophisticate to a 12-month-old child, strikes me as optimistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"Based on my background, having a typically British tutor from infancy will will not necessarily produce the result they want.
"I never had such a figure, and yet I have been privileged enough to experience several of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, personal identity should not be forced from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, UK identity is something the CEO believes can be educated – and commercialized.
"I think the reality that the international society holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
