"A household located in the northern part of London seeks an extraordinary and experienced instructor to guide their smallest child on his early path to becoming an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might easily miss the term "first-steps" as just figurative language.
However, it may be the most significant part of this distinctive job advert, as it seeks to find a teacher for a one-year-old.
Numerous of applications have now been submitted since the anonymous family posted their call for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has gained attention across the news, with many asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their hunt, said that despite first scepticism, he viewed the concept "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he said they appreciated the unconventional aspect of their request, and how immature their son is.
However, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had by then taken hold".
But what does the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", he replied. "The manner you eat, the way 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 explained to the consultant they wished to avoid history to recur with their younger child.
The plan: To engage a English tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the learning at the outset here is rather acquired indirectly," stated Adam.
It's through this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will acquire the English characteristics they aim to cultivate.
He explained the tutor must be someone who studied at "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed Adam the selected educator should preferably also have understanding of or passion in riding, skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of interests.
More than that though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son grow into a "English gentleman" will lead to achievement and create opportunities.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he notes.
But, despite all this tutelage in "Britishness", might the child pick up what is termed cultural influence from the globally influenced family he lives with regardless?
"Yes", replied Adam. "The family realize this may not work, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as soon as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the private teaching field who have similar doubts.
An education leader, chief executive of a tutoring service, who supplies personal educators, stated that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
Peter explained that he had emigrated from the Far East to the UK at the time of childhood, and had been raised understanding and practicing two backgrounds. He progressed to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The concept that a single person can serve as a embodiment of English culture, someone who can possibly transplant the characteristics of a English gentleman to a 12-month-old child, strikes me as naive and impractical," he stated.
"Based on my background, having a distinctly UK tutor from babyhood will does not automatically achieve the goal they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and however I have been privileged enough to live many of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, self-identity cannot be forced from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be educated – and sold.
"I believe the fact that the international society regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
