"A family located in north London seeks an remarkable and experienced educator to support their most junior child on his initial journey to growing into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might easily miss the phrase "initial stages" as simple a turn of phrase.
Yet, it could be the crucial element of this unusual job advert, as it attempts to recruit a mentor for a infant.
Hundreds of submissions have since been sent in since the unnamed family advertised their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has gained notice across the news, with many questioning why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their search, stated that in spite of early skepticism, he found the concept "visionary", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he said they appreciated the unconventional nature of their request, and how young their son is.
However, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had by then set in".
What exactly does the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam replied. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the firstborn had absorbed "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family explained to Adam they hoped to prevent this pattern to recur with their new baby.
The intention: To hire a English tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the education at the beginning here is rather osmotic," explained the CEO.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will adopt the UK customs they wish to impart.
He noted the tutor needed to be an individual who studied at "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator must be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to him the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in horse riding, skiing, creative fields and music so as to shape the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Additionally though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son become a "UK sophisticate" will result in success and provide access.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he adds.
However, in spite of all this tutelage in "English culture", would the child absorb alleged cultural influence from the globally influenced family he is raised by regardless?
"Absolutely", answered the CEO. "They realize this could fail, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the private teaching field who express similar reservations.
Another CEO, head and founder of Blue Education, who supplies private tutors, stated that "the journey of embracing two identities, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
Peter wrote that he had emigrated from Asia to the UK at the age of seven, and had been educated knowing and embodying dual heritages. He progressed to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that an individual can function as a representation of UK identity, a person who can somehow transfer the attributes of a English gentleman upon a infant child, seems to me idealistic and impractical," he wrote.
"In my experience, having a typically UK tutor from babyhood will will not instantly achieve the result they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to enjoy many of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, personal identity cannot be dictated from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Of course, Britishness is something the expert believes can be instructed – and marketed.
"I think the situation that the world views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
