"Parents residing in north London seeks an exceptional and qualified educator to assist their youngest child on his early path to becoming an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might readily miss the phrase "first-steps" as simple figurative language.
But, it may be the most important aspect of this unique job advert, as it attempts to recruit a teacher for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of applications have since been submitted since the unidentified family advertised their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the advert has received interest across the news, with many questioning why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their search, explained that despite initial doubt, he considered the concept "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he noted they recognized the atypical aspect of their request, and how immature their son is.
However, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had already set in".
What exactly does the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", he responded. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the older sibling had absorbed "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family informed the consultant they hoped to prevent this pattern to happen again with their younger child.
The plan: To hire a English tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the education at the beginning here is kind of absorbed naturally," explained Adam.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will adopt the English characteristics they wish to instil.
Adam noted the tutor must be someone who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed Adam the selected educator should preferably also have familiarity of or passion in horse riding, skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a wide range of interests.
Furthermore though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son become a "British gentleman" will lead to success and open doors.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he adds.
Yet, in spite of all this tutelage in "Britishness", might the child pick up what is termed cultural influence from the multicultural family he lives with anyway?
"Certainly", answered the CEO. "The parents understand this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as soon as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he said.
Impractical
There are some in the education sector who share these reservations.
Peter Cui, chief executive of Blue Education, who supplies personal educators, stated that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
He noted that he had relocated from China to the UK at the period of childhood, and had been brought up understanding and practicing two backgrounds. He went on to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that one individual can act as a representation of English culture, an individual who can in some way transfer the qualities of a UK sophisticate onto a one-year-old child, seems to me idealistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"From my perspective, having a typically English tutor from early childhood will does not instantly produce the goal they desire.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to experience numerous of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, personal identity cannot be forced from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Of course, Britishness is something the CEO thinks can be taught – and commercialized.
"I think the reality that the world holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
