"A family located in north London is looking for an remarkable and experienced educator to assist their smallest child on his first steps to turning into an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might readily miss the term "first-steps" as simple figurative language.
Yet, it could be the most important element of this unique job advert, as it seeks to find a mentor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of submissions have since been sent in since the anonymous family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the advert has attracted notice across the news, with several questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their hunt, explained that despite initial skepticism, he considered the idea "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he mentioned they understood the atypical character of their requirement, and how young their son is.
But, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural bias had by then set in".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert answered. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the older sibling had adopted "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family informed him they hoped to prevent the same situation to recur with their younger child.
The plan: To engage a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the development at the beginning here is kind of acquired indirectly," explained Adam.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will acquire the British traits they wish to instil.
He explained the tutor had to be somebody who attended "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or interest in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to inspire the child in a wide range of hobbies.
More than that though, he explained the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a range of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son become a "British gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and create opportunities.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he notes.
However, in spite of all this guidance in "UK identity", could the child adopt so-called cultural influence from the international family he resides with anyway?
"Certainly", replied he. "They realize this could fail, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'we should try and let's go as soon as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he explained.
Impractical
A number of in the tutoring industry who share these concerns.
An education leader, head and founder of Blue Education, who provides personal educators, commented that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
Peter noted that he had relocated from Asia to the UK at the period of seven, and had been brought up understanding and embodying dual heritages. He progressed to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that an individual can serve as a living vessel of Britishness, a person who can in some way transfer the characteristics of a UK sophisticate upon a infant child, appears idealistic and unrealistic," he stated.
"Based on my background, engaging a quintessentially English tutor from babyhood will not automatically achieve the result they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and yet I have been fortunate enough to experience many of the situations they desire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, cultural identity cannot be imposed from the outside; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, Britishness is something Adam believes can be educated – and marketed.
"In my view the reality that the international society views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
