"Parents based in north London wants to find an remarkable and qualified tutor to assist their most junior child on his initial journey to becoming an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might readily miss the wording "first-steps" as simple figurative language.
But, it might be the most significant element of this distinctive employment listing, as it aims to recruit a teacher for a infant.
Hundreds of responses have already been received since the unnamed family published their search 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 press, with many questioning why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, chief executive of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their quest, said that notwithstanding initial scepticism, he viewed the concept "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he said they appreciated the atypical nature of their demand, and how immature their son is.
However, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural bias had by then set in".
What precisely does the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", Adam replied. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He said the older sibling had absorbed "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family explained to him they did not want the same situation to happen again with their infant.
The plan: To hire a UK tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the learning at the start here is kind of osmotic," explained Adam.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will adopt the English characteristics they want to cultivate.
Adam explained the tutor needed to be someone who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told Adam the selected educator should preferably also have understanding of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a wide range of interests.
More than that though, he said the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son become a "British gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and open doors.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he comments.
But, in spite of all this guidance in "UK identity", might the child adopt what is termed cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he is raised by in any case?
"Yes", said Adam. "They realize this may not work, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the tutoring industry who share those doubts.
Another CEO, head and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer personal educators, commented that "the process of embracing two identities, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
He explained that he had emigrated from China to the UK at the period of seven, and had been brought up knowing and practicing two backgrounds. He continued to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that a single person can function as a representation of UK identity, someone who can possibly transplant the attributes of a British gentleman onto a infant child, seems to me optimistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"In my experience, engaging a typically English tutor from infancy will will not necessarily create the result they want.
"I did not have such a figure, and yet I have been lucky enough to live several of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, personal identity can not be dictated from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, UK identity is something Adam thinks can be educated – and sold.
"I believe the reality that the global community regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
