"Parents located in north London is looking for an remarkable and experienced instructor to guide their youngest child on his first steps to becoming an British gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might naturally overlook the term "first-steps" as simple figurative language.
However, it might be the most significant aspect of this unusual job advert, as it attempts to hire a tutor for a one-year-old.
Numerous of responses have already been sent in since the unidentified family posted their call for the highly paid tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the advert has received attention across the press, with numerous questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their quest, explained that notwithstanding early scepticism, he considered the concept "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they understood the unconventional character of their requirement, and how young their son is.
But, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already set in".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", he replied. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the older sibling had picked up "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family explained to the consultant they wished to avoid history to happen again with their infant.
The intention: To engage a English tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the education at the outset here is rather acquired indirectly," stated the CEO.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will acquire the UK customs they aim to cultivate.
He noted the tutor needed to be someone who attended "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told him the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to shape the child in a diverse set of passions.
Furthermore though, he said the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will lead to achievement and open doors.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he comments.
However, notwithstanding all this instruction in "UK identity", would the child pick up alleged cultural bias from the international family he resides with anyway?
"Absolutely", answered he. "They understand this could fail, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as soon as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Impractical
Several in the tutoring industry who share these reservations.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who supplies private tutors, commented that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
The expert wrote that he had relocated from Asia to the UK at the time of childhood, and had been raised knowing and embodying two backgrounds. He went on to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that one individual can serve as a embodiment of UK identity, an individual who can possibly transplant the characteristics of a English gentleman upon a infant child, seems to me naive and impractical," he stated.
"Based on my background, having a quintessentially British tutor from infancy will not automatically achieve the result they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and however I have been fortunate enough to experience many of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, personal identity can not be forced from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, UK identity is something Adam hopes can be educated – and sold.
"I believe the situation that the international society holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
