"A family based in the northern part of London wants to find an exceptional and qualified tutor to guide their smallest child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might readily miss the phrase "initial stages" as simple an expression.
But, it might be the most significant aspect of this distinctive employment listing, as it aims to find a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of applications have since been received since the unidentified family advertised their search for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the listing has attracted attention in the media, with many wondering why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their quest, said that despite early doubt, he found the concept "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they understood the unconventional character of their request, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already taken hold".
What precisely did the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert answered. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the firstborn had absorbed "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family explained to the consultant they did not want history to happen again with their younger child.
The strategy: To hire a British tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the education at the beginning here is kind of osmotic," said the expert.
It's through this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will pick up the UK customs they aim to cultivate.
He explained the tutor had to be an individual who attended "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told him the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in horse riding, skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of interests.
Furthermore though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son become a "British gentleman" will lead to success and provide access.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he adds.
Yet, in spite of all this guidance in "UK identity", could the child adopt what is termed cultural influence from the international family he resides with in any case?
"Certainly", said he. "The parents realize this may not work, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'we should try and we should start as soon as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the education sector who share these reservations.
An education leader, chief executive of Blue Education, who provides individual instructors, stated that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
He noted that he had emigrated from China to the UK at the period of seven, and had been raised understanding and practicing dual heritages. He progressed to study at Cambridge University.
"The concept that one individual can act as a representation of UK identity, someone who can in some way transplant the attributes of a British gentleman upon a infant child, appears naive and unfeasible," he wrote.
"From my perspective, employing a quintessentially British tutor from infancy will does not instantly produce the result they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to experience many of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, personal identity should not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, Britishness is something the expert hopes can be taught – and commercialized.
"In my view the reality that the global community regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
