"A family residing in the northern part of London seeks an exceptional and skilled educator to assist their smallest child on his first steps to becoming an English gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might naturally overlook the wording "first-steps" as just a turn of phrase.
But, it could be the crucial part of this unusual employment listing, as it attempts to hire a teacher for a infant.
Many of responses have already been received since the unidentified family posted their search for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the post has attracted attention throughout the media, with numerous wondering why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their search, explained that despite initial skepticism, he viewed the idea "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he said they recognized the atypical nature of their request, and how immature their son is.
However, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already become established".
What exactly did the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", he replied. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He stated the firstborn had adopted "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family explained to the consultant they did not want the same situation to recur with their infant.
The plan: To hire a British tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the education at the start here is rather absorbed naturally," said the CEO.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will adopt the British traits they aim to cultivate.
Adam explained the tutor must be someone who went to "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to Adam the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or passion in riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a wide range of hobbies.
Additionally though, he explained the family desired the tutor to register the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, assisting their son become a "English gentleman" will result in success and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he comments.
However, notwithstanding all this instruction in "UK identity", would the child pick up what is termed cultural bias from the international family he resides with anyway?
"Absolutely", replied Adam. "The parents understand this could fail, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he said.
Impractical
A number of in the private teaching field who express these reservations.
Another CEO, chief executive of an educational organization, who provides private tutors, wrote that "the development of embracing two identities, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
He wrote that he had moved from Asia to the Britain at the time of seven, and had been raised understanding and practicing dual heritages. He went on to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that one individual can serve as a living vessel of English culture, someone who can in some way transplant the attributes of a UK sophisticate upon a one-year-old child, seems to me idealistic and impractical," he commented.
"From my perspective, employing a quintessentially British tutor from infancy will will not necessarily produce the outcome they hope for.
"I never had such a figure, and yet I have been privileged enough to enjoy many of the situations they aspire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, personal identity can not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, Britishness is something the expert believes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I believe the reality that the world regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
