"A household based in the northern part of London is looking for an remarkable and experienced instructor to assist their youngest child on his early path to turning into an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might easily miss the phrase "first-steps" as simple figurative language.
But, it might be the crucial aspect of this unusual employment listing, as it seeks to recruit a mentor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of submissions have now been submitted since the unidentified family advertised their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the advert has attracted interest throughout the press, with numerous wondering why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their quest, explained that notwithstanding initial scepticism, he found the plan "visionary", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he noted they appreciated the unconventional nature of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already set in".
What exactly did the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert answered. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He said the elder child had adopted "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family explained to him they wished to avoid the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To bring in a British tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the development at the outset here is rather osmotic," explained the expert.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will adopt the English characteristics they wish to cultivate.
He explained the tutor needed to be someone who went to "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed him the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in equestrian activities, winter sports, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
More than that though, he stated the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son become a "UK sophisticate" will lead to achievement and open doors.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he comments.
Yet, despite all this instruction in "UK identity", could the child adopt alleged cultural influence from the international family he lives with regardless?
"Absolutely", said the CEO. "The family understand this might not succeed, but they've just taken the view of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the private teaching field who express these concerns.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who provides individual instructors, wrote that "the process of embracing two identities, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
Peter noted that he had relocated from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the period of childhood, and had been brought up knowing and practicing both cultures. He went on to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that a single person can function as a living vessel of UK identity, someone who can possibly transplant the qualities of a English gentleman upon a infant child, seems to me naive and impractical," he stated.
"In my experience, employing a quintessentially UK tutor from early childhood will will not automatically achieve the outcome they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to experience many of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, self-identity can not be imposed from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Of course, Britishness is something the CEO thinks can be instructed – and sold.
"In my view the reality that the world regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
