"A household located in the northern part of London seeks an exceptional and skilled instructor to guide their most junior child on his first steps to turning into an English gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might easily skip the phrase "first-steps" as just a turn of phrase.
Yet, it could be the most significant aspect of this distinctive position posting, as it aims to recruit a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Many of applications have now been received since the anonymous family advertised their search for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the advert has received interest throughout the media, with many wondering why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their quest, stated that notwithstanding first doubt, he considered the idea "visionary", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unusual aspect of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
But, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already taken hold".
What precisely did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam responded. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the firstborn had picked up "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family explained to the consultant they hoped to prevent history to recur with their younger child.
The plan: To bring in a UK tutor, who should speak with RP, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the education at the beginning here is kind of absorbed naturally," said the expert.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will pick up the UK customs they wish to impart.
Adam noted the tutor must be someone who went to "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator must be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Money No Object
The family told him the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or interest in riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to shape the child in a wide range of interests.
Additionally though, he stated the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's minds, assisting their son develop into a "English gentleman" will result in achievement and open doors.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he notes.
But, despite all this tutelage in "English culture", could the child pick up so-called cultural bias from the multicultural family he is raised by anyway?
"Certainly", replied the CEO. "The parents realize this could fail, but they've just taken the view of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as soon as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the private teaching field who share similar reservations.
Peter Cui, head and founder of Blue Education, who provides individual instructors, commented that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
The expert wrote that he had moved from China to the United Kingdom at the period of 7 years old, and had been educated understanding and practicing both cultures. He continued to study at Cambridge University.
"The idea that a single person can serve as a embodiment of Britishness, a person who can in some way impart the qualities of a British gentleman to a one-year-old child, appears naive and unrealistic," he commented.
"From my perspective, employing a quintessentially UK tutor from infancy will not instantly achieve the result they desire.
"I did not have such a figure, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to live many of the situations they hope for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, self-identity should not be forced from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, UK identity is something the CEO thinks can be taught – and sold.
"In my view the situation that the global community views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
