"A household located in north London seeks an exceptional and skilled educator to support their smallest child on his first steps to turning into an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might naturally miss the phrase "first-steps" as mere figurative language.
But, it might be the most important part of this distinctive job advert, as it attempts to find a mentor for a infant.
Hundreds of applications have already been submitted since the anonymous family posted their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
In recent few weeks, the listing has received interest in the press, with several wondering why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their quest, explained that despite first skepticism, he considered the plan "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they understood the unconventional aspect of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
But, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already become established".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", he replied. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the older sibling had absorbed "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family told him they wished to avoid the same situation to recur with their infant.
The strategy: To hire a UK tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the education at the start here is rather absorbed naturally," stated Adam.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will adopt the UK customs they wish to impart.
The consultant said the tutor needed to be somebody who studied at "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Money No Object
The family informed the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a diverse set of interests.
More than that though, he said the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son become a "English gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and create opportunities.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he comments.
Yet, despite all this tutelage in "UK identity", could the child pick up so-called cultural leaning from the multicultural family he resides with anyway?
"Yes", said he. "The family understand this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Impractical
Several in the education sector who express similar reservations.
An education leader, head and founder of Blue Education, who supplies personal educators, commented that "the process of embracing two identities, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
The expert wrote that he had relocated from Asia to the Britain at the period of seven, and had been raised understanding and embodying dual heritages. He continued to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that a single person can act as a embodiment of English culture, someone who can somehow impart the qualities of a UK sophisticate upon a infant child, appears idealistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"From my perspective, employing a typically English tutor from early childhood will not necessarily create the goal they hope for.
"I did not have such a tutor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to enjoy numerous of the experiences they desire for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, self-identity can not be forced from the outside; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, Britishness is something Adam thinks can be instructed – and sold.
"I believe the reality that the world regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
