"Parents residing in the northern part of London wants to find an exceptional and qualified tutor to support their smallest child on his first steps to growing into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might readily miss the term "first-steps" as just a turn of phrase.
Yet, it may be the most important aspect of this distinctive job advert, as it aims to hire a mentor for a one-year-old.
Numerous of submissions have now been sent in since the unidentified family advertised their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the post has received interest in the press, with several questioning why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their search, stated that despite initial scepticism, he found the idea "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he noted they understood the atypical nature of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had by then set in".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam responded. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the elder child had adopted "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family explained to Adam they did not want this pattern to happen again with their infant.
The plan: To hire a English tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the development at the outset here is rather acquired indirectly," explained Adam.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will pick up the English characteristics they wish to instil.
The consultant explained the tutor needed to be an individual who studied at "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Money No Object
The family explained to Adam the successful candidate should preferably also have familiarity of or passion in riding, skiing, creative fields and music so as to inspire the child in a wide range of passions.
Additionally though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will lead to accomplishment and provide access.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he comments.
But, in spite of all this instruction in "English culture", would the child pick up what is termed cultural leaning from the international family he resides with anyway?
"Certainly", replied he. "They understand this may not work, but they've just taken the view of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the education sector who have similar doubts.
An education leader, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who supplies private tutors, wrote that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
The expert explained that he had emigrated from Asia to the UK at the period of seven, and had been raised experiencing and living two backgrounds. He continued to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that one individual can function as a living vessel of Britishness, a person who can somehow transfer the characteristics of a British gentleman upon a one-year-old child, strikes me as optimistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"In my experience, having a quintessentially UK tutor from babyhood will not necessarily create the goal they desire.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and yet I have been privileged enough to enjoy numerous of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, personal identity cannot be forced from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, Britishness is something the expert thinks can be taught – and marketed.
"I think the fact that the international society holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
