"A household based in north London seeks an remarkable and experienced tutor to support their most junior child on his early path to growing into an English gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might naturally miss the term "initial stages" as simple a turn of phrase.
However, it may be the most significant aspect of this unique position posting, as it seeks to recruit a tutor for a infant.
Numerous of applications have now been sent in since the unnamed family posted their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the listing has attracted notice across the news, with many questioning why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their quest, said that notwithstanding initial scepticism, he considered the plan "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he mentioned they understood the atypical nature of their request, and how early in age their son is.
But, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural bias had by then set in".
What precisely did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", Adam responded. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the firstborn had absorbed "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family informed the consultant they wished to avoid this pattern to happen again with their new baby.
The intention: To bring in a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the development at the start here is somewhat acquired indirectly," said the CEO.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will acquire the English characteristics they wish to cultivate.
He noted the tutor needed to be somebody who studied at "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told him the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in horse riding, winter sports, the arts and music so as to influence the child in a wide range of interests.
More than that though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son grow into a "British gentleman" will result in success and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he adds.
Yet, despite all this guidance in "UK identity", would the child pick up what is termed cultural leaning from the multicultural family he lives with anyway?
"Absolutely", said Adam. "The family know this could fail, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as early as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the education sector who express similar doubts.
An education leader, chief executive of Blue Education, who also offer individual instructors, wrote that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
The expert noted that he had relocated from China to the UK at the time of 7 years old, and had been brought up knowing and embodying both cultures. He went on to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that a single person can act as a representation of UK identity, someone who can in some way transplant the qualities of a English gentleman onto a infant child, appears optimistic and impractical," he stated.
"In my experience, employing a typically British tutor from babyhood will will not necessarily produce the result they desire.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and yet I have been lucky enough to enjoy numerous of the situations they hope for their son."
He added: "The truth is, cultural identity cannot be dictated from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the expert hopes can be educated – and sold.
"I believe the fact that the global community holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
