"Parents located in North London wants to find an exceptional and skilled educator to assist their smallest child on his early path to turning into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might easily overlook the wording "initial stages" as simple a turn of phrase.
But, it could be the most significant part of this unusual employment listing, as it aims to hire a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of submissions have already been sent in since the unnamed family published their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
In recent few weeks, the advert has received interest throughout the media, with several questioning why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their search, explained that notwithstanding first scepticism, he considered the concept "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they recognized the unconventional nature of their demand, and how young their son is.
But, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural bias had by then become established".
What exactly did the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", Adam answered. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the elder child had adopted "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family told him they hoped to prevent this pattern to happen again with their new baby.
The strategy: To bring in a British tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the education at the start here is kind of absorbed naturally," said the CEO.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will pick up the British traits they aim to instil.
He explained the tutor needed to be somebody who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed him the chosen tutor should preferably also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, creative fields and music so as to influence the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Additionally though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son become a "English gentleman" will bring about success and open doors.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he adds.
Yet, despite all this guidance in "UK identity", would the child pick up alleged cultural influence from the globally influenced family he is raised by anyway?
"Certainly", answered the CEO. "The family realize this may not work, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as soon as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the tutoring industry who express similar doubts.
Peter Cui, head and founder of an educational organization, who provides individual instructors, wrote that "the development of embracing two identities, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
He noted that he had emigrated from the Far East to the Britain at the period of 7 years old, and had been educated understanding and practicing two backgrounds. He progressed to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that an individual can function as a living vessel of English culture, an individual who can possibly transfer the characteristics of a UK sophisticate onto a infant child, strikes me as naive and unrealistic," he wrote.
"Based on my background, having a quintessentially UK tutor from babyhood will does not automatically create the goal they hope for.
"I did not have such a figure, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to enjoy many of the experiences they hope for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, personal identity can not be imposed from the outside; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, Britishness is something the expert hopes can be educated – and marketed.
"I think the situation that the international society regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
