"Parents based in the northern part of London is looking for an exceptional and qualified instructor to support their most junior child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might naturally skip the phrase "first-steps" as simple a turn of phrase.
However, it might be the crucial part of this distinctive position posting, as it seeks to find a tutor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of responses have now been received since the unnamed family posted their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the post has gained interest across the news, with numerous questioning why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their hunt, explained that despite initial doubt, he found the concept "visionary", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he noted they recognized the atypical nature of their request, and how early in age their son is.
However, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural influence had by then set in".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", Adam replied. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He said the older sibling had absorbed "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family told Adam they did not want the same situation to happen again with their new baby.
The plan: To bring in a British tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the education at the outset here is somewhat acquired indirectly," said Adam.
It's via this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will adopt the UK customs they wish to cultivate.
The consultant said the tutor needed to be an individual who studied at "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed the expert the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in equestrian activities, skiing, creative fields and music so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
More than that though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will bring about success and provide access.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he comments.
But, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "UK identity", might the child pick up alleged cultural leaning from the multicultural family he resides with in any case?
"Absolutely", answered he. "They understand this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'we should try and let's go as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he stated.
Impractical
There are some in the private teaching field who share those concerns.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who provides private tutors, commented that "the development of embracing two identities, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
Peter explained that he had moved from the Far East to the UK at the time of childhood, and had been raised understanding and embodying two backgrounds. He progressed to study at Cambridge University.
"The concept that an individual can function as a embodiment of English culture, an individual who can in some way transplant the characteristics of a UK sophisticate to a 12-month-old child, appears idealistic and unrealistic," he stated.
"Based on my background, having a distinctly English tutor from early childhood will not necessarily produce the outcome they want.
"I never had such a figure, and yet I have been lucky enough to live many of the situations they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, personal identity can not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, UK identity is something the expert believes can be taught – and sold.
"In my view the situation that the world views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
