"Parents residing in North London wants to find an extraordinary and skilled tutor to assist their most junior child on his early path to becoming an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might naturally skip the wording "initial stages" as just a turn of phrase.
Yet, it might be the crucial element of this unique job advert, as it seeks to find a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of applications have already been received since the anonymous family posted their request for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the advert has received attention across the media, with many wondering why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their quest, stated that notwithstanding first skepticism, he viewed the idea "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he noted they recognized the unconventional nature of their request, and how young their son is.
However, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural bias had already taken hold".
What precisely does the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert responded. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He stated the older sibling had adopted "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family told him they did not want this pattern to recur with their infant.
The plan: To hire a British tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the development at the outset here is somewhat acquired indirectly," stated the expert.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will adopt the English characteristics they aim to instil.
The consultant said the tutor must be an individual who went to "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Money No Object
The family explained to the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or interest in riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and music so as to shape the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Additionally though, he said the family desired the tutor to register the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son become a "British gentleman" will bring about achievement and open doors.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he notes.
However, despite all this instruction in "UK identity", would the child absorb what is termed cultural bias from the globally influenced family he lives with in any case?
"Yes", said Adam. "The parents know this could fail, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'we should try and let's go as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the education sector who have these reservations.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who also offer private tutors, wrote that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
He explained that he had relocated from China to the United Kingdom at the time of seven, and had been educated understanding and practicing dual heritages. He progressed to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that one individual can serve as a representation of Britishness, a person who can possibly transplant the characteristics of a British gentleman upon a infant child, seems to me idealistic and impractical," he stated.
"Based on my background, employing a typically English tutor from babyhood will will not automatically produce the result they want.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to experience many of the experiences they hope for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, cultural identity cannot be imposed from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, Britishness is something Adam believes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I believe the situation that the international society holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
