"A family located in North London seeks an exceptional and skilled tutor to support their smallest child on his first steps to turning into an English gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might naturally overlook the wording "initial stages" as simple figurative language.
But, it could be the most important part of this unusual employment listing, as it attempts to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Many of submissions have now been sent in since the unidentified family posted their call for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the listing has attracted interest throughout the media, with many wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their hunt, explained that in spite of early doubt, he viewed the concept "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he noted they appreciated the unconventional character of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
But, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already taken hold".
What precisely did the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert answered. "How you eat, how you speak".
He stated the firstborn had absorbed "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family informed Adam they hoped to prevent the same situation to happen again with their infant.
The intention: To bring in a English tutor, who must speak with RP, to guide the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the learning at the beginning here is rather acquired indirectly," stated the expert.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will acquire the British traits they aim to cultivate.
Adam noted the tutor needed to be an individual who went to "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in horse riding, skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Additionally though, he explained the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a range of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will result in success and open doors.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he comments.
But, notwithstanding all this guidance in "Britishness", could the child pick up so-called cultural bias from the international family he lives with anyway?
"Yes", answered the CEO. "The family know this may not work, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the education sector who share these concerns.
An education leader, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who also offer personal educators, wrote that "the journey of embracing two identities, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
He wrote that he had emigrated from China to the United Kingdom at the time of 7 years old, and had been raised understanding and living two backgrounds. He progressed to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that a single person can function as a living vessel of English culture, an individual who can possibly transfer the attributes of a British gentleman to a 12-month-old child, appears idealistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"In my experience, having a quintessentially British tutor from early childhood will not necessarily create the goal they want.
"I did not have such a tutor, and however I have been fortunate enough to experience several of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, cultural identity should not be forced from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Of course, UK identity is something Adam thinks can be educated – and sold.
"I believe the reality that the international society views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
