"A household located in north London wants to find an extraordinary and qualified tutor to guide their smallest child on his first steps to growing into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might easily miss the term "first-steps" as just an expression.
Yet, it may be the most important element of this unique job advert, as it aims to recruit a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of responses have since been sent in since the anonymous family posted their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
In recent few weeks, the post has gained interest throughout the news, with numerous asking why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their hunt, stated that despite first scepticism, he viewed the concept "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they recognized the atypical nature of their request, and how early in age their son is.
However, 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 already taken hold".
What exactly does the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert replied. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the elder child had picked up "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family informed him they hoped to prevent the same situation to repeat itself with their new baby.
The intention: To bring in a UK tutor, who must speak with RP, to shape the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the education at the start here is somewhat osmotic," explained the expert.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will adopt the English characteristics they want to instil.
The consultant said the tutor must be someone who went to "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told him the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or passion in horse riding, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
More than that though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a variety of lessons 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 minds, helping their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will lead to achievement and open doors.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he adds.
Yet, in spite of all this instruction in "English culture", could the child adopt alleged cultural bias from the globally influenced family he resides with in any case?
"Absolutely", replied he. "They know this may not work, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who have similar doubts.
An education leader, head and founder of Blue Education, who also offer individual instructors, commented that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
He wrote that he had relocated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the time of 7 years old, and had been brought up experiencing and living dual heritages. He went on to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that one individual can function as a representation of UK identity, someone who can somehow impart the characteristics of a UK sophisticate to a infant child, strikes me as optimistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"From my perspective, employing a typically British tutor from infancy will will not automatically create the goal they want.
"I did not have such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to live several of the situations they desire for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, personal identity should not be imposed from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Of course, UK identity is something the expert hopes can be instructed – and sold.
"I believe the situation that the world holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
