"A household based in the northern part of London is looking for an remarkable and qualified tutor to support their youngest child on his initial journey to turning into an English gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might readily skip the wording "initial stages" as just an expression.
Yet, it could be the crucial element of this unusual position posting, as it aims to recruit a tutor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of responses have now been submitted since the anonymous family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the advert has attracted attention throughout the press, with several wondering why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their hunt, stated that notwithstanding initial scepticism, he found the plan "visionary", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he noted they understood the atypical character of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
However, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already taken hold".
But what did the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam replied. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He said the elder child had picked up "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family explained to Adam they wished to avoid this pattern to recur with their infant.
The intention: To engage a British tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the development at the outset here is rather acquired indirectly," said Adam.
It's through this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will acquire the English characteristics they want to impart.
The consultant noted the tutor must be an individual who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Money No Object
The family informed him the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in riding, skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to influence the child in a wide range of passions.
Additionally though, he explained the family desired the tutor to register the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son develop into a "British gentleman" will result in achievement and provide access.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he notes.
Yet, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "UK identity", would the child adopt alleged cultural bias from the multicultural family he lives with anyway?
"Certainly", answered the CEO. "They understand this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'we should try and let's go as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the private teaching field who express those concerns.
Another CEO, head and founder of Blue Education, who also offer private tutors, commented that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
Peter explained that he had relocated from the Far East to the Britain at the time of 7 years old, and had been educated experiencing and embodying dual heritages. He went on to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that an individual can function as a embodiment of Britishness, an individual who can in some way transplant the qualities of a British gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, appears naive and unrealistic," he wrote.
"Based on my background, employing a typically British tutor from early childhood will not automatically create the goal they want.
"I never had such a figure, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to live numerous of the situations they hope for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, personal identity can not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, English culture is something the CEO believes can be educated – and commercialized.
"I believe the reality that the world regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
