"Parents residing in North London seeks an extraordinary and skilled instructor to assist their most junior child on his first steps to becoming an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might naturally skip the term "first-steps" as mere a turn of phrase.
Yet, it may be the most significant part of this unique job advert, as it aims to hire a mentor for a one-year-old.
Many of responses have since been sent in since the anonymous family advertised their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the post has received interest throughout the news, with many asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their hunt, explained that despite first doubt, he viewed the plan "visionary", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he said they recognized the unconventional aspect of their requirement, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated 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 age "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
What exactly does the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam replied. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the firstborn had picked up "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family informed him they hoped to prevent history to recur with their younger child.
The plan: To engage a English tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the development at the beginning here is rather absorbed naturally," stated the expert.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will pick up the British traits they aim to instil.
The consultant noted the tutor must be somebody who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told him the successful candidate should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to inspire the child in a wide range of interests.
Furthermore though, he said the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a range 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 perspective, helping their son become a "UK sophisticate" will bring about accomplishment and provide access.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he adds.
But, notwithstanding all this instruction in "Britishness", could the child adopt so-called cultural bias from the international family he resides with anyway?
"Yes", answered he. "The family know this could fail, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Impractical
A number of in the private teaching field who have these concerns.
Peter Cui, head and founder of Blue Education, who also offer personal educators, commented that "the development of embracing two identities, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
The expert explained that he had emigrated from China to the United Kingdom at the age of childhood, and had been raised understanding and living dual heritages. He progressed to learn at Cambridge University.
"The notion that one individual can function as a representation of English culture, a person who can possibly transfer the qualities of a English gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, appears idealistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"From my perspective, employing a distinctly English tutor from early childhood will not automatically achieve the result they want.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to live many of the experiences they desire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, cultural identity cannot be imposed from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, UK identity is something the CEO hopes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I believe the situation that the world holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
