"A household residing in North London is looking for an remarkable and skilled tutor to support their youngest child on his first steps to growing into an English gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might easily overlook the term "first-steps" as mere an expression.
However, it could be the crucial element of this unusual position posting, as it aims to hire a mentor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of responses have now been sent in since the unidentified family published their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the listing has gained notice across the news, with several asking why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their hunt, said that in spite of first skepticism, he found the concept "visionary", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he said they appreciated the atypical nature of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
But, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
But what does the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam replied. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He said the firstborn had picked up "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family informed the consultant they hoped to prevent the same situation to happen again with their younger child.
The intention: To bring in a British tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to shape the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the education at the beginning here is rather osmotic," said Adam.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will acquire the UK customs they want to impart.
The consultant noted the tutor had to be somebody who studied at "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Money No Object
The family explained to Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or passion in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to influence the child in a diverse set of passions.
Additionally though, he stated the family desired the tutor to register the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son become a "English gentleman" will result in success and open doors.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he comments.
But, despite all this tutelage in "English culture", might the child adopt what is termed cultural leaning from the multicultural family he resides with in any case?
"Certainly", said Adam. "The parents know this could fail, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he stated.
Impractical
There are some in the tutoring industry who share similar reservations.
Peter Cui, chief executive of a tutoring service, who provides individual instructors, stated that "the process of becoming bicultural, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
He explained that he had moved from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the time of seven, and had been raised understanding and practicing dual heritages. He went on to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that one individual can act as a representation of English culture, a person who can somehow transplant the qualities of a UK sophisticate upon a one-year-old child, strikes me as optimistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"From my perspective, engaging a typically UK tutor from babyhood will does not instantly produce the outcome they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to experience several of the situations they aspire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, personal identity cannot be dictated from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Of course, English culture is something Adam thinks can be educated – and marketed.
"I think the fact that the global community regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
