"A household located in the northern part of London wants to find an remarkable and experienced educator to guide their youngest child on his initial journey to becoming an English gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might easily skip the phrase "first-steps" as just figurative language.
Yet, it could be the most significant part of this unique employment listing, as it aims to recruit a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of responses have since been sent in since the unnamed family posted their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted attention across the media, with numerous asking why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their search, stated that despite initial skepticism, he viewed the idea "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he said they understood the unconventional character of their request, and how immature their son is.
But, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had by then set in".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", he responded. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the older sibling had absorbed "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family told him they wished to avoid history to repeat itself with their infant.
The plan: To engage a English tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the development at the outset here is kind of osmotic," stated Adam.
It's through this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will adopt the UK customs they want to impart.
The consultant noted the tutor had to be an individual who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator must be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told Adam the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in horse riding, alpine skiing, the arts and music so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
More than that though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son develop into a "English gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and open doors.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he comments.
Yet, in spite of all this guidance in "Britishness", would the child absorb so-called cultural influence from the international family he is raised by anyway?
"Absolutely", answered the CEO. "They understand this may not work, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he said.
Impractical
A number of in the education sector who have similar doubts.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who provides personal educators, stated that "the journey of embracing two identities, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
Peter explained that he had emigrated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the age of 7 years old, and had been brought up understanding and practicing dual heritages. He progressed to study at Cambridge University.
"The notion that a single person can act as a embodiment of English culture, someone who can possibly impart the characteristics of a British gentleman to a infant child, seems to me naive and unrealistic," he stated.
"In my experience, engaging a typically British tutor from babyhood will not necessarily achieve the result they desire.
"I did not have such a figure, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to enjoy several of the experiences they desire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, personal identity cannot be forced from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Of course, Britishness is something Adam hopes can be taught – and commercialized.
"I believe the fact that the global community regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
