"Parents residing in the northern part of London seeks an remarkable and qualified tutor to assist their smallest child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might naturally miss the phrase "initial stages" as just an expression.
But, it might be the crucial aspect of this unusual employment listing, as it attempts to hire a mentor for a one-year-old.
Many of applications have since been submitted since the unidentified family advertised their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the post has attracted interest in the press, with several questioning why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their search, explained that despite early doubt, he considered the idea "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he said they recognized the atypical nature of their request, and how early in age their son is.
However, they explained 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 stage "cultural conditioning had already become established".
What exactly did the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", he answered. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the firstborn had picked up "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family told the consultant they hoped to prevent the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The plan: To engage a English tutor, who should speak with RP, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the development at the outset here is somewhat acquired indirectly," said the CEO.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will pick up the English characteristics they aim to instil.
The consultant said the tutor had to be someone who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Money No Object
The family informed him the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in horse riding, skiing, the arts and music so as to influence the child in a wide range of hobbies.
More than that though, he explained the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a range of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will result in achievement and create opportunities.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he adds.
But, in spite of all this tutelage in "English culture", could the child absorb what is termed cultural bias from the international family he resides with anyway?
"Yes", answered Adam. "The family understand this may not work, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the education sector who share similar doubts.
Another CEO, chief executive of an educational organization, who supplies private tutors, wrote that "the development of becoming bicultural, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
He noted that he had moved from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the age of seven, and had been raised experiencing and practicing both cultures. He went on to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that a single person can act as a living vessel of Britishness, a person who can possibly impart the attributes of a English gentleman onto a one-year-old child, appears naive and impractical," he commented.
"From my perspective, engaging a quintessentially English tutor from babyhood will does not necessarily achieve the result they desire.
"I did not have such a tutor, and yet I have been privileged enough to experience many of the situations they desire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, cultural identity can not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Of course, English culture is something Adam hopes can be educated – and marketed.
"In my view the reality that the world holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
