"A household residing in the northern part of London is looking for an exceptional and skilled instructor to assist their most junior child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might naturally skip the phrase "initial stages" as just figurative language.
But, it could be the crucial aspect of this unique position posting, as it aims to hire a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of submissions have now been sent in since the anonymous family advertised their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the advert has attracted interest throughout the media, with several asking why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their search, said that notwithstanding initial doubt, he considered the plan "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he said they recognized the atypical aspect of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
But, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam responded. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the elder child had adopted "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family explained to him they wished to avoid this pattern to happen again with their new baby.
The plan: To bring in a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the education at the outset here is kind of absorbed naturally," said Adam.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will adopt the UK customs they wish to cultivate.
Adam noted the tutor needed to be somebody who attended "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Money No Object
The family explained to the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in horse riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a diverse set of interests.
More than that though, he stated the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son become a "English gentleman" will bring about success and open doors.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he adds.
However, in spite of all this tutelage in "Britishness", could the child pick up alleged cultural bias from the international family he resides with anyway?
"Certainly", replied the CEO. "The family know this may not work, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as soon as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Impractical
Several in the education sector who have these reservations.
An education leader, head and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer personal educators, stated that "the development of embracing two identities, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
Peter wrote that he had moved from the Far East to the UK at the time of seven, and had been brought up understanding and embodying two backgrounds. He continued to learn at Cambridge University.
"The concept that one individual can act as a representation of Britishness, someone who can possibly transfer the attributes of a UK sophisticate onto a 12-month-old child, appears naive and impractical," he stated.
"From my perspective, having a typically British tutor from infancy will not instantly create the result they want.
"I never had such a tutor, and however I have been lucky enough to enjoy several of the situations they hope for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, self-identity should not be imposed from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, UK identity is something the expert believes can be taught – and sold.
"I believe the situation that the international society views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
