"A household located in North London wants to find an extraordinary and qualified instructor to support their most junior child on his first steps to growing into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might naturally skip the term "first-steps" as simple figurative language.
Yet, it may be the crucial element of this unique position posting, as it attempts to find a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Many of submissions have already been received since the unidentified family published their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the listing has attracted interest across the news, with many asking why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, chief executive of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their search, stated that notwithstanding early skepticism, he found the plan "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he said they recognized the atypical nature of their demand, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
What exactly does the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", he answered. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He stated the elder child had picked up "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family told the consultant they did not want this pattern to happen again with their younger child.
The strategy: To engage a British tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the education at the beginning here is kind of osmotic," said the CEO.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will acquire the British traits they aim to impart.
He explained the tutor needed to be an individual who studied at "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed the expert the successful candidate should preferably also have familiarity of or passion in horse riding, skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he said the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son become a "UK sophisticate" will bring about success and create opportunities.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he comments.
Yet, despite all this tutelage in "UK identity", would the child pick up alleged cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he is raised by anyway?
"Yes", said Adam. "The parents realize this may not work, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'we should try and we should start as early as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who have these concerns.
Peter Cui, chief executive of Blue Education, who provides individual instructors, commented that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
The expert wrote that he had moved from the Far East to the Britain at the period of 7 years old, and had been brought up knowing and living two backgrounds. He went on to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that a single person can function as a living vessel of Britishness, a person who can in some way transplant the characteristics of a UK sophisticate to a infant child, seems to me naive and unrealistic," he stated.
"Based on my background, employing a typically English tutor from early childhood will does not necessarily create the goal they desire.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and yet I have been privileged enough to enjoy several of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, personal identity can not be forced from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be educated – and sold.
"In my view the situation that the global community regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
