"A family based in north London wants to find an remarkable and qualified tutor to guide their smallest child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might naturally miss the wording "beginning" as mere figurative language.
But, it could be the most significant element of this unusual position posting, as it attempts to hire a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Many of submissions have since been submitted since the unnamed family advertised their request for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has received attention across the news, with several questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their hunt, explained that in spite of first doubt, he viewed the concept "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they recognized the atypical nature of their requirement, and how young their son is.
However, they clarified 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 point "cultural bias had already become established".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", he responded. "How you eat, how you speak".
He said the firstborn had absorbed "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family informed the consultant they did not want the same situation to happen again with their younger child.
The intention: To bring in a English tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the learning at the beginning here is somewhat acquired indirectly," said the CEO.
It's via this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will pick up the British traits they aim to instil.
He noted the tutor needed to be someone who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Money No Object
The family informed Adam the chosen tutor should preferably also have understanding of or passion in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Additionally though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an tool by the time they are approximately 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 rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he comments.
However, despite all this instruction in "Britishness", might the child pick up alleged cultural leaning from the multicultural family he lives with in any case?
"Absolutely", answered he. "The family know this might not succeed, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as early as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the private teaching field who express those doubts.
Another CEO, chief executive of a tutoring service, who supplies individual instructors, stated that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
He noted that he had emigrated from the Far East to the UK at the time of 7 years old, and had been raised understanding and practicing two backgrounds. He went on to study at Cambridge University.
"The notion that one individual can act as a living vessel of Britishness, someone who can somehow transfer the characteristics of a UK sophisticate upon a 12-month-old child, appears idealistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"From my perspective, having a quintessentially British tutor from infancy will will not necessarily create the outcome they desire.
"I did not have such a figure, and however I have been lucky enough to live several of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, self-identity can not be dictated from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, UK identity is something the expert thinks can be taught – and sold.
"In my view the reality that the world regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
