"A household residing in north London is looking for an extraordinary and skilled instructor to assist their youngest child on his early path to becoming an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might readily miss the term "initial stages" as just an expression.
However, it could be the most significant element of this unusual job advert, as it aims to recruit a tutor for a infant.
Many of responses have since been sent in since the unnamed family posted their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the advert has received interest throughout the media, with several wondering why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their search, said that despite early skepticism, he viewed the idea "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he said they understood the atypical character of their request, and how early in age their son is.
But, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already set in".
What exactly does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", he replied. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He said the older sibling had picked up "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family explained to him they wished to avoid this pattern to recur with their infant.
The plan: To bring in a UK tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the learning at the outset here is kind of acquired indirectly," explained Adam.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will adopt the UK customs they want to instil.
The consultant explained the tutor had to be an individual who went to "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed him the successful candidate should preferably also have understanding of or interest in equestrian activities, winter sports, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to influence the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
More than that though, he said the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a range of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will bring about success and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he adds.
Yet, despite all this instruction in "English culture", might the child pick up what is termed cultural influence from the globally influenced family he lives with in any case?
"Yes", replied the CEO. "They know this might not succeed, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as early as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the education sector who express these reservations.
Peter Cui, head and founder of a tutoring service, who supplies personal educators, stated that "the process of embracing two identities, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
Peter wrote that he had relocated from China to the UK at the age of seven, and had been raised understanding and practicing dual heritages. He continued to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that an individual can act as a embodiment of Britishness, someone who can in some way transfer the characteristics of a UK sophisticate to a 12-month-old child, strikes me as idealistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"In my experience, having a typically UK tutor from infancy will not automatically produce the goal they want.
"I never had such a figure, and yet I have been privileged enough to experience many of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, self-identity can not be imposed from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, Britishness is something the CEO thinks can be taught – and commercialized.
"In my view the fact that the global community holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
