"A household based in North London wants to find an exceptional and experienced educator to guide their smallest child on his first steps to turning into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might naturally skip the wording "first-steps" as mere an expression.
But, it may be the most important aspect of this unusual job advert, as it seeks to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Many of responses have already been sent in since the unnamed family advertised their search for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the listing has received attention throughout the media, with several wondering why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, chief executive of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their search, said that despite initial doubt, he considered the concept "visionary", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they understood the atypical nature of their request, and how young their son is.
But, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural bias had by then taken hold".
But what did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert responded. "How you eat, how you speak".
He explained the older sibling had picked up "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family explained to him they did not want the same situation to happen again with their younger child.
The intention: To engage a UK tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the development at the start here is rather osmotic," explained Adam.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will adopt the UK customs they want to impart.
Adam explained the tutor had to be an individual who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – 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 aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to him the selected educator should preferably also have understanding of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, winter sports, the arts and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a wide range of passions.
Furthermore though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will bring about accomplishment and create opportunities.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he notes.
Yet, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "Britishness", would the child adopt alleged cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he is raised by in any case?
"Absolutely", replied he. "They realize this could fail, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he explained.
Impractical
Several in the education sector who express similar concerns.
Another CEO, head and founder of an educational organization, who provides individual instructors, commented that "the development of embracing two identities, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
He noted 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 continued to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that a single person can serve as a representation of Britishness, a person who can in some way impart the attributes of a British gentleman upon a infant child, seems to me optimistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"In my experience, engaging a quintessentially British tutor from babyhood will does not instantly create the result they hope for.
"I did not have such a tutor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to live many of the situations they desire for their son."
He stated: "The reality is, cultural identity should not be dictated from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, English culture is something the CEO believes can be instructed – and marketed.
"I think the situation that the global community holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
