"A household located in north London is looking for an extraordinary and qualified educator to assist their smallest child on his early path to becoming an English gentleman."
When reading this post, you might easily miss the phrase "first-steps" as mere figurative language.
Yet, it may be the crucial element of this unique job advert, as it seeks to hire a mentor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of responses have now been submitted since the unidentified family advertised their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has received interest throughout the news, with many questioning why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, chief executive of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their quest, said that in spite of first doubt, he found the concept "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they appreciated the unconventional nature of their demand, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already become established".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", he responded. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He stated the firstborn had picked up "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family told him they hoped to prevent the same situation to happen again with their infant.
The plan: To hire a UK tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the education at the beginning here is rather osmotic," explained Adam.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will pick up the English characteristics they wish to instil.
Adam said the tutor needed to be somebody who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Money No Object
The family told Adam the selected educator should preferably also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to shape the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
More than that though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will bring about accomplishment and provide access.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he notes.
But, in spite of all this tutelage in "UK identity", would the child pick up alleged cultural influence from the international family he resides with in any case?
"Yes", answered Adam. "The family know this could fail, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he said.
Impractical
There are some in the tutoring industry who share these reservations.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who supplies individual instructors, wrote that "the process of embracing two identities, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
Peter noted that he had relocated from Asia to the Britain at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised experiencing and embodying two backgrounds. He progressed to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that an individual can act as a embodiment of Britishness, an individual who can possibly transfer the attributes of a UK sophisticate upon a infant child, appears naive and unrealistic," he commented.
"In my experience, engaging a distinctly English tutor from early childhood will not instantly create the goal they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and however I have been fortunate enough to live several of the situations they hope for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, cultural identity should not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, UK identity is something the expert hopes can be taught – and sold.
"I believe the reality that the world views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
