"A household based in North London wants to find an remarkable and qualified educator to guide their smallest child on his first steps to turning into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might easily skip the wording "first-steps" as just an expression.
Yet, it might be the most significant aspect of this unusual job advert, as it aims to recruit a mentor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of applications have already been received since the unnamed family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the post has attracted notice in the media, with numerous wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their quest, explained that despite initial scepticism, he viewed the plan "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he noted they appreciated the atypical nature of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had by then taken hold".
What precisely does the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", he replied. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the elder child had adopted "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family informed the consultant they hoped to prevent this pattern to repeat itself with their new baby.
The strategy: To engage a British tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the learning at the beginning here is rather absorbed naturally," said the CEO.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will pick up the British traits they wish to impart.
The consultant explained the tutor had to be an individual who studied at "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told him the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or passion in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, the arts and music so as to inspire the child in a wide range of passions.
More than that though, he said the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a range of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son develop into a "British gentleman" will bring about success and open doors.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he comments.
But, despite all this instruction in "UK identity", would the child absorb what is termed cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he is raised by regardless?
"Absolutely", said Adam. "They know this could fail, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he said.
Impractical
Several in the education sector who have these concerns.
Peter Cui, chief executive of Blue Education, who provides individual instructors, wrote that "the journey of embracing two identities, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
He wrote that he had moved from China to the UK at the time of 7 years old, and had been educated experiencing and living two backgrounds. He progressed to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that an individual can function as a embodiment of UK identity, a person who can somehow transfer the characteristics of a UK sophisticate to a infant child, seems to me optimistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"In my experience, employing a quintessentially English tutor from early childhood will not instantly achieve the goal they hope for.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to experience several of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, personal identity cannot be imposed from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, Britishness is something the expert hopes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"In my view the situation that the global community regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
