"A family based in the northern part of London wants to find an extraordinary and qualified instructor to assist their youngest child on his first steps to turning into an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might readily overlook the wording "first-steps" as mere an expression.
But, it may be the most significant aspect of this unusual job advert, as it seeks to hire a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Many of responses have already been received since the unidentified family posted their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the advert has gained attention throughout the news, with many wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their search, explained that in spite of first scepticism, he found the concept "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he mentioned they understood the atypical nature of their demand, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already taken hold".
What precisely does the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert answered. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He said the elder child had adopted "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family informed the consultant they wished to avoid the same situation to repeat itself with their younger child.
The plan: To hire a British tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the development at the start here is rather absorbed naturally," said the expert.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will adopt the British traits they wish to impart.
Adam noted the tutor had to be an individual who attended "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to Adam the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in horse riding, skiing, creative fields and music so as to influence the child in a wide range of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son become a "British gentleman" will bring about achievement and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he adds.
Yet, notwithstanding all this instruction in "UK identity", would the child absorb alleged cultural bias from the international family he is raised by anyway?
"Certainly", replied he. "The parents understand this may not work, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the education sector who have those concerns.
Another CEO, chief executive of a tutoring service, who supplies private tutors, wrote that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
He wrote that he had moved from the Far East to the Britain at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised experiencing and living dual heritages. He continued to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that an individual can function as a embodiment of English culture, an individual who can in some way transplant the characteristics of a British gentleman to a one-year-old child, seems to me optimistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"In my experience, employing a typically UK tutor from babyhood will does not necessarily achieve the goal they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to experience many of the situations they desire for their son."
He added: "The fact is, personal identity cannot be forced from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, English culture is something the expert hopes can be taught – and marketed.
"In my view the reality that the world holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
