"Parents residing in North London seeks an extraordinary and qualified tutor to support their smallest child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might easily overlook the term "initial stages" as just figurative language.
But, it may be the most significant element of this distinctive employment listing, as it aims to hire a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Many of responses have since been received since the unidentified family advertised their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the post has received attention throughout the press, with several questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their search, stated that despite early doubt, he considered the idea "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he said they recognized the unusual nature of their request, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained 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 bias had already set in".
What precisely does the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam answered. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the older sibling had absorbed "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family explained to Adam they did not want this pattern to repeat itself with their new baby.
The strategy: To hire a UK tutor, who should speak with RP, to guide the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the education at the beginning here is rather absorbed naturally," stated Adam.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will pick up the British traits they aim to impart.
He explained the tutor must be an individual who studied at "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator must be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told the expert the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in horse riding, skiing, the arts and music so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
More than that though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son grow into a "British gentleman" will result in success and provide access.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he adds.
However, in spite of all this instruction in "English culture", could the child pick up what is termed cultural influence from the international family he is raised by in any case?
"Yes", answered he. "They understand this might not succeed, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the education sector who share similar concerns.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who supplies individual instructors, stated that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
He wrote that he had emigrated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the period of seven, and had been raised experiencing and practicing dual heritages. He went on to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that one individual can act as a embodiment of UK identity, a person who can in some way transfer the attributes of a British gentleman upon a one-year-old child, appears naive and unfeasible," he wrote.
"In my experience, employing a typically British tutor from infancy will does not automatically create the goal they desire.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to live many of the situations they aspire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, self-identity cannot be dictated from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, UK identity is something Adam believes can be taught – and marketed.
"I believe the fact that the global community views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
