"A household located in the northern part of London seeks an extraordinary and skilled instructor to support their most junior child on his initial journey to becoming an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might readily miss the term "initial stages" as simple figurative language.
Yet, it might be the most significant aspect of this unique job advert, as it seeks to find a teacher for a infant.
Hundreds of responses have since been sent in since the unidentified family published their search for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the post has attracted interest throughout the media, with several questioning why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their hunt, stated that despite initial scepticism, he considered the plan "visionary", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he noted they understood the unconventional character of their request, and how young their son is.
However, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural bias had by then taken hold".
What exactly did the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", he replied. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the firstborn had adopted "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family informed Adam they wished to avoid the same situation to happen again with their infant.
The plan: To engage a British tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the learning at the start here is somewhat absorbed naturally," stated the expert.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will adopt the English characteristics they want to impart.
He noted the tutor needed to be someone who went to "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Money No Object
The family informed him the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in riding, skiing, creative fields and music so as to shape the child in a wide range of hobbies.
Additionally though, he explained the family desired the tutor to register the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son become a "English gentleman" will lead to achievement and open doors.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he adds.
But, despite all this tutelage in "English culture", might the child adopt so-called cultural influence from the international family he is raised by regardless?
"Yes", replied the CEO. "They know this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Impractical
Several in the private teaching field who share these doubts.
An education leader, head and founder of an educational organization, who provides personal educators, stated that "the journey of embracing two identities, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
Peter wrote that he had relocated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the period of childhood, and had been raised knowing and practicing both cultures. He continued to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that one individual can act as a embodiment of English culture, a person who can possibly transfer the characteristics of a English gentleman to a infant child, seems to me naive and unfeasible," he commented.
"From my perspective, engaging a quintessentially UK tutor from infancy will will not necessarily achieve the goal they hope for.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and however I have been fortunate enough to experience numerous of the experiences they hope for their son."
He added: "The fact is, personal identity can not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, UK identity is something the expert believes can be instructed – and marketed.
"I think the fact that the world views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
