"A family residing in the northern part of London seeks an exceptional and experienced educator to guide their smallest child on his first steps to becoming an English gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might readily miss the wording "first-steps" as just an expression.
Yet, it could be the most significant part of this distinctive job advert, as it aims to hire a mentor for a one-year-old.
Numerous of submissions have since been sent in since the anonymous family published their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the listing has received attention in the press, with several questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their hunt, said that despite early skepticism, he found the plan "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he said they understood the unconventional nature of their demand, and how immature their son is.
But, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural influence had by then become established".
What exactly does the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam answered. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the elder child had absorbed "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family explained to Adam they wished to avoid history to happen again with their new baby.
The intention: To bring in a English tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the development at the start here is somewhat acquired indirectly," stated the CEO.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will pick up the UK customs they wish to cultivate.
He explained the tutor needed to be somebody who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor must be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed him the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in horse riding, alpine skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a wide range of hobbies.
More than that though, he said the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a range of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will lead to achievement and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he notes.
Yet, in spite of all this guidance in "UK identity", could the child adopt alleged cultural bias from the globally influenced family he is raised by anyway?
"Absolutely", replied the CEO. "The parents realize this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as soon as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the education sector who express these reservations.
An education leader, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who supplies individual instructors, commented that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
Peter wrote that he had relocated from Asia to the Britain at the time of seven, and had been educated experiencing and practicing dual heritages. He went on to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that a single person can serve as a embodiment of Britishness, someone who can possibly transplant the characteristics of a British gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, seems to me optimistic and impractical," he commented.
"Based on my background, having a typically English tutor from infancy will does not necessarily create the outcome they hope for.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and however I have been fortunate enough to live several of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, personal identity cannot be dictated from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, UK identity is something the expert hopes can be taught – and marketed.
"I believe the fact that the global community regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
