"A family residing in north London wants to find an remarkable and experienced instructor to guide their youngest child on his first steps to becoming an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might naturally miss the wording "initial stages" as mere figurative language.
But, it may be the most significant element of this unusual position posting, as it seeks to find a teacher for a infant.
Numerous of applications have already been submitted since the unnamed family advertised their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted notice in the media, with numerous questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their hunt, said that despite initial doubt, he considered the concept "visionary", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they appreciated the atypical character of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had by then taken hold".
What precisely did the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert answered. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the firstborn had absorbed "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family informed the consultant they hoped to prevent the same situation to happen again with their younger child.
The strategy: To bring in a UK tutor, who should speak with RP, to shape the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the development at the beginning here is rather acquired indirectly," stated the expert.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will acquire the UK customs they wish to impart.
The consultant noted the tutor needed to be someone who went to "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to the expert the chosen tutor should preferably also have familiarity of or interest in horse riding, alpine skiing, the arts and music so as to inspire the child in a wide range of interests.
Additionally though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son become a "English gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and create opportunities.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he comments.
But, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "Britishness", could the child pick up alleged cultural bias from the multicultural family he is raised by anyway?
"Yes", replied Adam. "They realize this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'we should try and we should start as early as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who have similar concerns.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who provides individual instructors, commented that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
Peter noted that he had relocated from Asia to the Britain at the time of childhood, and had been brought up understanding and embodying dual heritages. He went on to study at Cambridge University.
"The notion that a single person can act as a representation of Britishness, someone who can somehow transfer the qualities of a UK sophisticate to a 12-month-old child, appears optimistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"In my experience, engaging a typically British tutor from early childhood will not instantly produce the result they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and however I have been lucky enough to live several of the situations they desire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, personal identity cannot be imposed from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, UK identity is something the expert hopes can be educated – and marketed.
"In my view the reality that the global community views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
