"A family residing in the northern part of London seeks an remarkable and skilled tutor to assist their youngest child on his early path to growing into an English gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might easily overlook the phrase "initial stages" as simple an expression.
However, it might be the most significant element of this unusual position posting, as it attempts to recruit a mentor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of applications have since been submitted since the unidentified family advertised their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has received interest throughout the news, with several asking why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their search, explained that notwithstanding initial doubt, he viewed the concept "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he said they appreciated the unusual nature of their request, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural influence had by then taken hold".
What exactly did the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert responded. "How you eat, how you speak".
He said the older sibling had absorbed "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family informed Adam they hoped to prevent history to repeat itself with their younger child.
The plan: To hire a British tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the education at the beginning here is somewhat absorbed naturally," stated Adam.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will acquire the UK customs they want to impart.
The consultant noted the tutor had to be somebody who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told Adam the selected educator should preferably also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, winter sports, the arts and music so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a range of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will result in success and open doors.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he adds.
But, despite all this tutelage in "UK identity", would the child absorb so-called cultural influence from the globally influenced family he lives with regardless?
"Yes", answered the CEO. "The parents understand this might not succeed, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who have these reservations.
Peter Cui, head and founder of Blue Education, who provides individual instructors, wrote that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
Peter explained that he had emigrated from China to the UK at the period of seven, and had been educated experiencing and embodying dual heritages. He continued to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that an individual can function as a living vessel of UK identity, someone who can in some way impart the qualities of a British gentleman onto a infant child, strikes me as optimistic and impractical," he stated.
"Based on my background, having a distinctly UK tutor from early childhood will will not instantly produce the result they desire.
"I did not have such a figure, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to live numerous of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The reality is, cultural identity cannot be imposed from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be taught – and sold.
"In my view the fact that the international society holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
