"A household based in North London seeks an remarkable and experienced educator to assist their smallest child on his first steps to turning into an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might readily overlook the wording "initial stages" as mere figurative language.
But, it might be the most important part of this unique job advert, as it seeks to hire a tutor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of submissions have since been sent in since the anonymous family published their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the post has received interest throughout the press, with many questioning why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their hunt, stated that despite initial doubt, he found the idea "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he noted they recognized the atypical character of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, 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 conditioning had already become established".
What precisely did the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", he responded. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the firstborn had absorbed "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family explained to Adam they did not want the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To engage a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the education at the beginning here is somewhat acquired indirectly," stated the expert.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will acquire the British traits they want to impart.
The consultant explained the tutor needed to be somebody who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in horse riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to shape the child in a diverse set of passions.
Additionally though, he said the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will result in success and provide access.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he adds.
However, in spite of all this tutelage in "Britishness", would the child adopt what is termed cultural bias from the international family he lives with regardless?
"Yes", replied Adam. "The family understand this may not work, but they've just taken the view of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the tutoring industry who share these concerns.
An education leader, head and founder of Blue Education, who also offer private tutors, stated that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
The expert explained that he had moved from Asia to the United Kingdom at the time of seven, and had been raised knowing and living both cultures. He went on to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that a single person can serve as a embodiment of UK identity, someone who can possibly impart the qualities of a UK sophisticate to a infant child, seems to me optimistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"In my experience, engaging a quintessentially English tutor from early childhood will does not instantly achieve the goal they want.
"I did not have such a tutor, and however I have been fortunate enough to live numerous of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, personal identity can not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, UK identity is something Adam hopes can be instructed – and marketed.
"In my view the situation that the international society regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
