"Parents based in north London seeks an extraordinary and skilled educator to guide their youngest child on his first steps to turning into an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might easily miss the wording "first-steps" as just a turn of phrase.
But, it could be the most significant aspect of this unusual employment listing, as it aims to hire a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Many of responses have now been received since the anonymous family published their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the post has attracted notice throughout the media, with many wondering why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their search, stated that despite first skepticism, he considered the plan "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they appreciated the atypical aspect of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already taken hold".
What exactly did the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", he replied. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He said the firstborn had picked up "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family informed Adam they wished to avoid the same situation to happen again with their infant.
The strategy: To engage a British tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to shape the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the learning at the beginning here is rather osmotic," said Adam.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will adopt the British traits they aim to instil.
Adam noted the tutor had to be someone who attended "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed the expert the selected educator should preferably also have understanding of or interest in horse riding, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to shape the child in a diverse set of passions.
Furthermore though, he said the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son grow into a "British gentleman" will result in accomplishment and provide access.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he adds.
But, in spite of all this guidance in "UK identity", would the child adopt so-called cultural influence from the multicultural family he resides with in any case?
"Certainly", replied he. "The parents know this might not succeed, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as early as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the tutoring industry who express these reservations.
An education leader, head and founder of a tutoring service, who provides personal educators, commented that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
He explained that he had relocated from the Far East to the Britain at the age of seven, and had been educated experiencing and embodying both cultures. He progressed to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that one individual can act as a embodiment of UK identity, an individual who can somehow transplant the qualities of a UK sophisticate to a one-year-old child, strikes me as naive and unfeasible," he stated.
"From my perspective, having a quintessentially UK tutor from babyhood will will not instantly achieve the result they want.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to enjoy many of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, self-identity cannot be forced from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, UK identity is something Adam believes can be instructed – and sold.
"In my view the fact that the world holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
