"A family residing in north London seeks an exceptional and qualified educator to support their smallest child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might readily skip the phrase "first-steps" as just figurative language.
However, it could be the most important element of this unique position posting, as it attempts to hire a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Many of responses have now been received since the anonymous family published their call for the highly paid tutor, who must be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the advert has attracted interest in the media, with many asking why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their search, explained that notwithstanding initial scepticism, he found the plan "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he said they understood the unconventional character of their demand, and how immature their son is.
But, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had already become established".
What exactly does the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", Adam responded. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He said the firstborn had absorbed "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family informed the consultant they wished to avoid the same situation to happen again with their new baby.
The plan: To engage a English tutor, who should speak with RP, to guide the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the development at the start here is kind of acquired indirectly," stated the expert.
It's through this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will pick up the British traits they aim to cultivate.
The consultant noted the tutor had to be an individual who studied at "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
More than that though, he stated the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will bring about achievement and create opportunities.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he adds.
Yet, despite all this tutelage in "UK identity", could the child pick up so-called cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he is raised by anyway?
"Absolutely", said he. "The parents realize this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'we should try and let's go as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the education sector who have these doubts.
Another CEO, chief executive of Blue Education, who supplies personal educators, wrote that "the process of becoming bicultural, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
The expert noted that he had relocated from the Far East to the UK at the age of childhood, and had been educated understanding and living two backgrounds. He progressed to study at Cambridge University.
"The notion that a single person can function as a representation of Britishness, a person who can in some way transfer the qualities of a English gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, strikes me as optimistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"Based on my background, having a distinctly English tutor from babyhood will does not automatically achieve the outcome they hope for.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and yet I have been lucky enough to live several of the experiences they desire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, cultural identity can not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, UK identity is something the CEO thinks can be taught – and commercialized.
"In my view the fact that the international society regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
