"Parents located in the northern part of London seeks an exceptional and experienced instructor to guide their most junior child on his early path to becoming an English gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might easily overlook the wording "first-steps" as just a turn of phrase.
But, it could be the most important element of this unique employment listing, as it attempts to find a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of responses have now been submitted since the anonymous family advertised their request for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the advert has attracted interest across the press, with numerous wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their search, explained that in spite of first scepticism, he found the idea "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he said they understood the unconventional aspect of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
But, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already taken hold".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam replied. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the firstborn had absorbed "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family explained to Adam they did not want the same situation to repeat itself with their younger child.
The intention: To hire a UK tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the development at the beginning here is rather osmotic," said Adam.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will acquire the UK customs they want to impart.
He noted the tutor needed to be somebody who went to "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Money No Object
The family told Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in riding, winter sports, creative fields and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
More than that though, he said the family desired the tutor to register the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son develop into a "English gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and open doors.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he comments.
Yet, in spite of all this guidance in "UK identity", might the child adopt so-called cultural influence from the globally influenced family he lives with anyway?
"Certainly", said the CEO. "The family understand this could fail, but they've just taken the view of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he stated.
Impractical
There are some in the tutoring industry who express similar concerns.
Peter Cui, chief executive of a tutoring service, who provides individual instructors, commented that "the process of embracing two identities, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
Peter explained that he had moved from China to the United Kingdom at the time of childhood, and had been educated understanding and practicing both cultures. He progressed to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that one individual can function as a embodiment of Britishness, a person who can somehow transplant the characteristics of a English gentleman onto a infant child, appears naive and unrealistic," he stated.
"In my experience, engaging a typically British tutor from infancy will will not automatically produce the outcome they hope for.
"I never had such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to enjoy numerous of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He added: "The truth is, cultural identity cannot be forced from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, English culture is something Adam hopes can be educated – and marketed.
"In my view the reality that the global community regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
