"A family based in the northern part of London is looking for an exceptional and qualified educator to assist their youngest child on his first steps to becoming an British gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might readily overlook the term "initial stages" as simple an expression.
But, it could be the most significant part of this distinctive position posting, as it seeks to hire a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of submissions have since been received since the unidentified family advertised their request for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the post has attracted notice in the news, with several asking why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their hunt, said that notwithstanding first scepticism, he found the idea "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he noted they understood the unusual nature of their request, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already set in".
What exactly does the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", he replied. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the firstborn had adopted "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family told the consultant they hoped to prevent the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To bring in a British tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the education at the start here is rather absorbed naturally," said Adam.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will adopt the English characteristics they want to instil.
He noted the tutor had to be an individual who studied at "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to Adam the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in riding, skiing, the arts and music so as to shape the child in a wide range of interests.
Furthermore though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a range 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, guiding their son develop into a "British gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and provide access.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he notes.
But, despite all this tutelage in "English culture", might the child adopt what is termed cultural leaning from the multicultural family he lives with anyway?
"Yes", answered the CEO. "The parents understand this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'we should try and we should start as soon as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he said.
Impractical
There are some in the private teaching field who express these doubts.
An education leader, chief executive of a tutoring service, who supplies individual instructors, wrote that "the process of becoming bicultural, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
He noted that he had emigrated from China to the United Kingdom at the period of seven, and had been educated experiencing and practicing both cultures. He continued to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that one individual can serve as a embodiment of English culture, someone who can possibly transfer the characteristics of a British gentleman onto a infant child, appears naive and unfeasible," he commented.
"From my perspective, employing a quintessentially UK tutor from infancy will does not automatically create the outcome they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and however I have been privileged enough to experience many of the situations they aspire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, self-identity can not be forced from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Of course, UK identity is something the expert thinks can be taught – and commercialized.
"In my view the fact that the world regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
