"A household residing in North London wants to find an extraordinary and qualified educator to assist their smallest child on his initial journey to growing into an English gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might readily skip the term "initial stages" as simple a turn of phrase.
But, it may be the most important aspect of this distinctive position posting, as it attempts to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of submissions have since been sent in since the anonymous family posted their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the listing has received attention in the press, with numerous wondering why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their search, said that notwithstanding early doubt, he found the concept "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he said they appreciated the atypical character of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
But, they explained 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 influence had already set in".
What precisely did the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", he replied. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the firstborn had adopted "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family told Adam they wished to avoid history to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To hire a UK tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the development at the beginning here is somewhat osmotic," said the CEO.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will acquire the UK customs they aim to cultivate.
The consultant noted the tutor had to be somebody who attended "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Money No Object
The family informed Adam the successful candidate should preferably also have familiarity of or interest in equestrian activities, winter sports, creative fields and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
More than that though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son develop into a "British gentleman" will result in achievement and create opportunities.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he notes.
However, despite all this instruction in "English culture", could the child adopt what is termed cultural influence from the globally influenced family he is raised by in any case?
"Absolutely", said the CEO. "They know this could fail, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as early as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the tutoring industry who share those concerns.
Another CEO, head and founder of an educational organization, who provides private tutors, stated that "the process of becoming bicultural, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
Peter wrote that he had relocated from Asia to the Britain at the age of 7 years old, and had been educated knowing and living two backgrounds. He progressed to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The concept that an individual can serve as a embodiment of Britishness, a person who can somehow transplant the qualities of a English gentleman to a one-year-old child, strikes me as idealistic and unrealistic," he stated.
"From my perspective, engaging a typically UK tutor from early childhood will does not automatically produce the outcome they desire.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to experience several of the situations they desire for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, cultural identity should not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Of course, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be educated – and commercialized.
"I think the situation that the global community regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
