"Parents residing in North London is looking for an exceptional and experienced instructor to assist their most junior child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might easily skip the wording "first-steps" as mere figurative language.
Yet, it may be the most significant part of this unusual job advert, as it seeks to recruit a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Many of submissions have now been sent in since the unnamed family published their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the listing has gained attention throughout the news, with several asking why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their hunt, said that in spite of initial scepticism, he viewed the plan "visionary", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he mentioned they appreciated the atypical aspect of their demand, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
What exactly did the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert replied. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the elder child had adopted "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family told the consultant they hoped to prevent history to recur with their younger child.
The strategy: To bring in a English tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the development at the outset here is rather absorbed naturally," stated the expert.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will adopt the British traits they aim to cultivate.
The consultant explained the tutor had to be somebody who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told Adam the selected educator should preferably also have familiarity of or passion in horse riding, skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
More than that though, he stated the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son become a "British gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and open doors.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he adds.
But, notwithstanding all this instruction in "Britishness", could the child pick up so-called cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he is raised by anyway?
"Yes", answered Adam. "They realize this may not work, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as early as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he explained.
Impractical
There are some in the education sector who express similar doubts.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who provides individual instructors, commented that "the journey of embracing two identities, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
He explained that he had relocated from Asia to the UK at the age of seven, and had been educated understanding and living both cultures. He went on to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that one individual can act as a embodiment of Britishness, someone who can possibly impart the characteristics of a UK sophisticate upon a one-year-old child, seems to me naive and unrealistic," he stated.
"Based on my background, engaging a typically British tutor from infancy will will not automatically create the goal they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to enjoy many of the situations they hope for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, self-identity cannot be dictated from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, Britishness is something the expert thinks can be educated – and sold.
"In my view the fact that the world holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
