"A household located in North London wants to find an extraordinary and skilled tutor to assist their most junior child on his first steps to turning into an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might naturally miss the phrase "initial stages" as simple an expression.
However, it could be the most significant element of this unique position posting, as it seeks to recruit a tutor for a infant.
Hundreds of responses have already been submitted since the anonymous family posted their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted attention in the news, with numerous asking why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their quest, said that in spite of early skepticism, he considered the plan "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he noted they understood the unconventional aspect of their demand, and how immature their son is.
But, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had by then set in".
What exactly does the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", he responded. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the elder child had picked up "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family told Adam they wished to avoid the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The intention: To bring in a UK tutor, who should speak with RP, to shape the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the education at the beginning here is rather acquired indirectly," stated the CEO.
It's via this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will adopt the UK customs they aim to cultivate.
Adam explained the tutor needed to be an individual who studied at "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in horse riding, winter sports, the arts and music so as to inspire the child in a wide range of interests.
Additionally though, he explained the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will bring about achievement and provide access.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he comments.
Yet, notwithstanding all this instruction in "UK identity", would the child pick up alleged cultural influence from the multicultural family he lives with anyway?
"Absolutely", answered he. "The parents realize this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the education sector who share those concerns.
Peter Cui, head and founder of an educational organization, who supplies personal educators, stated that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
The expert wrote that he had moved from Asia to the United Kingdom at the age of 7 years old, and had been brought up experiencing and living dual heritages. He progressed to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that one individual can function as a embodiment of Britishness, an individual who can possibly transplant the qualities of a British gentleman upon a one-year-old child, appears idealistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"Based on my background, having a distinctly English tutor from early childhood will will not instantly create the goal they want.
"I did not have such a tutor, and however I have been privileged enough to enjoy numerous of the situations they aspire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, cultural identity can not be dictated from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, Britishness is something the CEO believes can be instructed – and sold.
"I think the situation that the global community regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
