"A family located in the northern part of London seeks an exceptional and qualified educator to assist their youngest child on his first steps to turning into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might readily overlook the term "initial stages" as simple a turn of phrase.
However, it may be the most significant part of this unusual employment listing, as it aims to recruit a mentor for a infant.
Hundreds of responses have since been sent in since the unidentified family posted their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the post has gained notice across the news, with numerous asking why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their hunt, stated that in spite of early scepticism, he found the concept "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he said they understood the unusual nature of their request, and how early in age their son is.
However, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already set in".
What exactly did the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam replied. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the older sibling had picked up "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family told the consultant they did not want history to recur with their new baby.
The strategy: To hire a UK tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the learning at the start here is rather osmotic," stated the expert.
It's via this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will adopt the UK customs they aim to impart.
The consultant noted the tutor had to be an individual who went to "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Money No Object
The family told Adam the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or interest in riding, skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of interests.
Furthermore though, he stated the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will bring about achievement and provide access.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he adds.
But, notwithstanding all this guidance in "English culture", could the child adopt so-called cultural bias from the globally influenced family he lives with in any case?
"Yes", said he. "The parents know this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the private teaching field who share similar concerns.
An education leader, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer private tutors, commented that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
The expert noted that he had relocated from China to the Britain at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised experiencing and practicing dual heritages. He went on to study at Cambridge University.
"The concept that a single person can act as a representation of UK identity, an individual who can possibly transplant the qualities of a British gentleman to a 12-month-old child, seems to me idealistic and unrealistic," he stated.
"In my experience, engaging a quintessentially UK tutor from infancy will will not instantly achieve the outcome they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and yet I have been lucky enough to experience many of the experiences they hope for their son."
He added: "The truth is, self-identity should not be imposed from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, English culture is something the expert hopes can be taught – and marketed.
"I believe the reality that the international society regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
