"Parents residing in north London seeks an remarkable and skilled tutor to assist their smallest child on his first steps to turning into an English gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might easily overlook the phrase "first-steps" as simple a turn of phrase.
Yet, it could be the most important aspect of this unique employment listing, as it attempts to recruit a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Many of submissions have now been received since the anonymous family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the post has received notice across the news, with numerous asking why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their search, said that notwithstanding early skepticism, he considered the concept "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they understood the unusual nature of their request, and how young their son is.
But, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already become established".
What precisely does the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam answered. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the older sibling had adopted "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family told him they hoped to prevent the same situation to repeat itself with their new baby.
The intention: To hire a English tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to influence the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the education at the start here is somewhat acquired indirectly," stated Adam.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will adopt the English characteristics they aim to impart.
He explained the tutor needed to be somebody who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Money No Object
The family explained to him the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, winter sports, the arts and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a wide range of passions.
Additionally though, he stated the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son become a "UK sophisticate" will bring about achievement and provide access.
"For all 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 absorb so-called cultural bias from the international family he lives with in any case?
"Yes", answered he. "The parents understand this could fail, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as soon as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the private teaching field who express those doubts.
Another CEO, chief executive of an educational organization, who provides private tutors, stated that "the development of becoming bicultural, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
Peter wrote that he had emigrated from the Far East to the UK at the age of childhood, and had been educated knowing and embodying two backgrounds. He went on to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that an individual can act as a representation of UK identity, someone who can in some way transplant the qualities of a UK sophisticate onto a one-year-old child, seems to me naive and unfeasible," he commented.
"In my experience, employing a typically British tutor from babyhood will does not automatically create the outcome they desire.
"I did not have such a tutor, and however I have been fortunate enough to enjoy numerous of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He stated: "The reality is, personal identity cannot be forced from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Of course, UK identity is something the CEO hopes can be taught – and sold.
"I think the situation that the world views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
