"Parents located in the northern part of London is looking for an extraordinary and qualified instructor to guide their smallest child on his first steps to turning into an British gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might easily overlook the wording "first-steps" as mere an expression.
But, it might be the most important part of this distinctive employment listing, as it seeks to find a mentor for a infant.
Many of responses have now been submitted since the anonymous family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the post has received attention throughout the media, with many wondering why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their quest, said that notwithstanding early scepticism, he found the concept "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he noted they understood the unusual character of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
However, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had already set in".
What precisely did the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", he responded. "How you eat, how you speak".
He explained the elder child had absorbed "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family informed Adam they did not want the same situation to recur with their new baby.
The intention: To bring in a English tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the education at the beginning here is kind of acquired indirectly," explained the expert.
It's via this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will acquire the British traits they aim to cultivate.
The consultant said the tutor had to be someone who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to the expert the selected educator should preferably also have familiarity of or interest in riding, skiing, the arts and music so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Additionally though, he said the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a range 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 result in accomplishment and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he adds.
But, notwithstanding all this guidance in "UK identity", could the child pick up what is termed cultural leaning from the international family he lives with regardless?
"Yes", answered Adam. "The family understand this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Impractical
There are some in the tutoring industry who express those concerns.
Peter Cui, head and founder of Blue Education, who also offer individual instructors, commented that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
Peter noted that he had emigrated from China to the United Kingdom at the age of childhood, and had been educated knowing and living two backgrounds. He progressed to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that an individual can function as a living vessel of UK identity, someone who can possibly transplant the attributes of a UK sophisticate to a one-year-old child, strikes me as idealistic and impractical," he stated.
"From my perspective, engaging a typically English tutor from early childhood will does not instantly produce the result they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to experience several of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He added: "The truth is, cultural identity can not be imposed from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be taught – and sold.
"In my view the fact that the global community holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
