"Parents located in North London seeks an exceptional and experienced instructor to assist their most junior child on his first steps to growing into an English gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might naturally overlook the wording "first-steps" as mere figurative language.
But, it may be the most important element of this unique employment listing, as it seeks to recruit a tutor for a infant.
Numerous of submissions have now been received since the unnamed family posted their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the post has gained attention in the press, with many questioning why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their quest, explained that despite early scepticism, he found the plan "visionary", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they recognized the unconventional nature of their demand, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already taken hold".
But what did the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert responded. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the older sibling had absorbed "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family told the consultant they hoped to prevent the same situation to repeat itself with their younger child.
The strategy: To hire a British tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the learning at the start here is kind of absorbed naturally," said Adam.
It's via this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will adopt the UK customs they wish to instil.
He explained the tutor must be someone who studied at "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Money No Object
The family explained to Adam the chosen tutor should preferably also have understanding of or interest in horse riding, winter sports, creative fields and music so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
More than that though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son develop into a "British gentleman" will result in accomplishment and create opportunities.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he adds.
However, in spite of all this instruction in "Britishness", could the child pick up what is termed cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he resides with in any case?
"Yes", said Adam. "They realize this could fail, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'we should try and we should start as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the education sector who share those reservations.
An education leader, chief executive of Blue Education, who provides personal educators, stated that "the development of becoming bicultural, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
He noted that he had relocated from China to the UK at the time of childhood, and had been brought up knowing and living both cultures. He went on to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The idea that one individual can act as a embodiment of English culture, someone who can somehow transplant the attributes of a UK sophisticate to a infant child, appears idealistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"Based on my background, having a distinctly UK tutor from infancy will does not automatically produce the outcome they desire.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to experience several of the experiences they desire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, personal identity cannot be dictated from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, Britishness is something Adam thinks can be taught – and sold.
"I think the fact that the global community holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
