"Parents residing in north London is looking for an remarkable and skilled educator to assist their youngest child on his first steps to growing into an English gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might easily skip the wording "first-steps" as simple figurative language.
But, it could be the most important part of this distinctive position posting, as it attempts to find a mentor for a one-year-old.
Many of responses have now been received since the unidentified family advertised their request for the highly paid tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the post has received notice across the media, with many asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their search, explained that despite early skepticism, he found the idea "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he said they recognized the unconventional nature of their request, and how young their son is.
However, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", he answered. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the elder child had absorbed "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family told him they hoped to prevent history to repeat itself with their younger child.
The intention: To engage a British tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the development at the start here is somewhat absorbed naturally," said the CEO.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will adopt the English characteristics they wish to impart.
He explained the tutor needed to be an individual who studied at "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed Adam the selected educator should preferably also have understanding of or passion in horse riding, alpine skiing, the arts and music so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will lead to achievement and provide access.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he comments.
Yet, notwithstanding all this guidance in "English culture", could the child adopt alleged cultural influence from the international family he is raised by anyway?
"Yes", answered the CEO. "The family know this may not work, but they've simply adopted the view 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.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the private teaching field who express those concerns.
An education leader, chief executive of Blue Education, who also offer personal educators, stated that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
He wrote that he had emigrated from Asia to the Britain at the time of 7 years old, and had been educated knowing and embodying dual heritages. He progressed to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that a single person can serve as a representation of English culture, an individual who can in some way transplant the attributes of a English gentleman to a one-year-old child, appears idealistic and impractical," he stated.
"In my experience, having a distinctly UK tutor from infancy will will not automatically produce the goal they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to experience numerous of the situations they hope for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, self-identity cannot be imposed from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, UK identity is something the CEO thinks can be instructed – and commercialized.
"In my view the fact that the international society views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
