"Parents residing in the northern part of London wants to find an exceptional and qualified instructor to guide their youngest child on his early path to growing into an English gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might readily overlook the wording "initial stages" as mere an expression.
But, it might be the most important aspect of this distinctive job advert, as it seeks to find a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of responses have now been sent in since the unidentified family posted their search for the highly paid tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the post has received attention in the news, with many asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their hunt, said that in spite of first skepticism, he viewed the concept "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he said they understood the atypical nature of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
However, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already set in".
But what does the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert replied. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He said the older sibling had picked up "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family told the consultant they wished to avoid history to happen again with their infant.
The plan: To engage a UK tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the learning at the outset here is rather acquired indirectly," said Adam.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will pick up the UK customs they aim to impart.
The consultant explained the tutor must be an individual who went to "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories 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 don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to him the successful candidate should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in horse riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Additionally though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son grow into a "British gentleman" will result in achievement and provide access.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he notes.
Yet, despite all this instruction in "English culture", would the child adopt what is termed cultural influence from the multicultural family he is raised by anyway?
"Yes", answered Adam. "The parents realize this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the private teaching field who have these doubts.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who supplies private tutors, stated that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
Peter explained that he had emigrated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the time of childhood, and had been brought up understanding and embodying both cultures. He continued to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The idea that an individual can function as a living vessel of Britishness, an individual who can in some way transplant the characteristics of a UK sophisticate to a one-year-old child, strikes me as idealistic and impractical," he wrote.
"In my experience, having a quintessentially British tutor from infancy will will not instantly create the goal they want.
"I did not have such a figure, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to live many of the situations they desire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, cultural identity should not be forced from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, Britishness is something Adam thinks can be taught – and marketed.
"In my view the fact that the international society holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
