"A household based in North London wants to find an extraordinary and qualified educator to support their youngest child on his initial journey to turning into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might easily skip the wording "initial stages" as mere a turn of phrase.
Yet, it could be the crucial aspect of this unusual position posting, as it seeks to find a tutor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of submissions have now been submitted since the anonymous family published their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has received notice across the media, with many wondering why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their search, explained that in spite of initial doubt, he viewed the concept "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he said they appreciated the atypical character of their demand, and how immature their son is.
However, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert answered. "How you eat, how you speak".
He said the older sibling had absorbed "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family explained to him they did not want this pattern to repeat itself with their infant.
The plan: To hire a English tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the learning at the start here is somewhat absorbed naturally," stated the expert.
It's through this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will pick up the English characteristics they wish to cultivate.
Adam noted the tutor must be an individual who attended "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Money No Object
The family told Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, skiing, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to influence the child in a wide range of interests.
Furthermore though, he explained the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son become a "English gentleman" will result in success and open doors.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he adds.
Yet, notwithstanding all this guidance in "Britishness", could the child absorb what is termed cultural bias from the international family he resides with anyway?
"Yes", said he. "The family know this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as early as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he stated.
Impractical
There are some in the education sector who share those concerns.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who supplies personal educators, wrote that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
Peter wrote that he had emigrated from China to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been brought up knowing and embodying dual heritages. He continued to study at Cambridge University.
"The idea that an individual can act as a representation of UK identity, a person who can possibly impart the qualities of a English gentleman onto a infant child, strikes me as optimistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"In my experience, having a quintessentially UK tutor from early childhood will will not necessarily achieve the outcome they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to live many of the situations they desire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, self-identity should not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, Britishness is something the expert hopes can be educated – and commercialized.
"I think the reality that the international society views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
