"A family located in North London wants to find an remarkable and experienced tutor to support their youngest child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might readily miss the phrase "first-steps" as simple a turn of phrase.
However, it could be the crucial element of this distinctive employment listing, as it seeks to find a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of responses have now been received since the unnamed family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the post has gained interest in the press, with numerous questioning why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their hunt, explained that in spite of first scepticism, he found the idea "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they understood the unconventional aspect of their request, and how immature their son is.
But, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
What exactly does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert answered. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He stated the elder child had picked up "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family explained to Adam they did not want the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The intention: To engage a British tutor, who must speak with RP, to guide the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the learning at the outset here is rather acquired indirectly," said the expert.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will pick up the English characteristics they aim to cultivate.
Adam said the tutor needed to be somebody who went to "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor must be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in riding, skiing, creative fields and music so as to influence the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he said the family desired the tutor to register the child on a range of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son develop into a "British gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and open doors.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he notes.
However, despite all this instruction in "Britishness", could the child pick up what is termed cultural influence from the globally influenced family he lives with anyway?
"Certainly", said the CEO. "The parents realize this could fail, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he said.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the education sector who share similar concerns.
Another CEO, chief executive of a tutoring service, who provides private tutors, commented that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
The expert wrote that he had emigrated from the Far East to the Britain at the period of 7 years old, and had been brought up experiencing and practicing both cultures. He continued to learn at Cambridge University.
"The idea that an individual can function as a representation of English culture, someone who can somehow impart the qualities of a British gentleman to a 12-month-old child, strikes me as naive and impractical," he commented.
"Based on my background, engaging a distinctly English tutor from infancy will not automatically create the goal they desire.
"I never had such a figure, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to live many of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He stated: "The reality is, cultural identity cannot be imposed from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Of course, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be instructed – and sold.
"I believe the fact that the international society views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
