"A family residing in north London is looking for an exceptional and qualified instructor to support their most junior child on his early path to turning into an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might easily skip the wording "initial stages" as simple figurative language.
Yet, it could be the most significant part of this unusual position posting, as it aims to hire a teacher for a infant.
Hundreds of submissions have now been submitted since the unidentified family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the advert has attracted attention in the media, with several questioning why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their quest, stated that despite early doubt, he found the concept "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he noted they appreciated the unusual character of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
However, they stated 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 influence had by then set in".
What precisely did the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", he responded. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the firstborn had picked up "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family told the consultant they hoped to prevent the same situation to recur with their new baby.
The intention: To bring in a English tutor, who should speak with RP, to guide the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the education at the beginning here is kind of acquired indirectly," said Adam.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will adopt the English characteristics they want to impart.
Adam said the tutor must be someone who studied at "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to the expert the selected educator should preferably also have familiarity of or passion in horse riding, winter sports, creative fields and music so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
Additionally though, he explained the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a range of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son become a "UK sophisticate" will lead to achievement and provide access.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he notes.
However, despite all this tutelage in "English culture", might the child adopt so-called cultural bias from the international family he resides with in any case?
"Certainly", replied he. "The family know this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the education sector who express these concerns.
An education leader, chief executive of a tutoring service, who also offer individual instructors, stated that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
The expert explained that he had relocated from China to the UK at the period of seven, and had been educated experiencing and living dual heritages. He went on to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that one individual can serve as a living vessel of Britishness, an individual who can in some way impart the attributes of a English gentleman to a one-year-old child, seems to me naive and impractical," he wrote.
"In my experience, employing a typically UK tutor from infancy will will not necessarily produce the result they want.
"I never had such a figure, and yet I have been privileged enough to experience several of the experiences they desire for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, self-identity should not be forced from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, Britishness is something Adam hopes can be educated – and marketed.
"In my view the situation that the world regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
