"A household residing in the northern part of London wants to find an remarkable and skilled instructor to support their most junior child on his first steps to turning into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might readily miss the phrase "first-steps" as just figurative language.
Yet, it may be the crucial part of this unusual position posting, as it seeks to find a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of responses have now been submitted since the anonymous family advertised their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has attracted notice across the press, with numerous wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their search, stated that in spite of early doubt, he considered the idea "visionary", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unconventional character of their demand, and how young their son is.
But, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already set in".
But what does the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", he responded. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He said the older sibling had adopted "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family informed him they hoped to prevent this pattern to recur with their younger child.
The intention: To hire a British tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the learning at the beginning here is kind of absorbed naturally," said the expert.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will pick up the English characteristics they aim to cultivate.
The consultant said the tutor must be someone who attended "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to the expert the successful candidate should preferably also have knowledge of or interest in horse riding, skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Furthermore though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son become a "English gentleman" will result in success and open doors.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he adds.
Yet, in spite of all this tutelage in "English culture", would the child adopt alleged cultural bias from the globally influenced family he lives with regardless?
"Absolutely", replied Adam. "The parents know this may not work, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as early as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the education sector who have similar reservations.
An education leader, chief executive of an educational organization, who provides personal educators, wrote that "the journey of embracing two identities, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
The expert noted that he had relocated from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the period of 7 years old, and had been educated knowing and practicing both cultures. He continued to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that a single person can act as a living vessel of UK identity, someone who can possibly transplant the attributes of a British gentleman upon a one-year-old child, strikes me as naive and unrealistic," he stated.
"From my perspective, engaging a typically British tutor from early childhood will will not necessarily create the outcome they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to enjoy many of the situations they hope for their son."
He added: "The truth is, personal identity can not be forced from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, English culture is something the CEO believes can be educated – and commercialized.
"In my view the reality that the world regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating