"A household located in the northern part of London is looking for an remarkable and skilled educator to assist their most junior child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might easily miss the term "initial stages" as just a turn of phrase.
But, it may be the crucial part of this unusual job advert, as it seeks to find a mentor for a infant.
Numerous of applications have now been submitted since the anonymous family published their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has received interest across the press, with many questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their quest, stated that notwithstanding first doubt, he considered the concept "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they understood the unusual nature of their request, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already taken hold".
What exactly does the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", he answered. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He explained the elder child had adopted "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family explained to him they did not want this pattern to recur with their younger child.
The intention: To engage a English tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the learning at the beginning here is rather absorbed naturally," stated the expert.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will adopt the English characteristics they aim to instil.
The consultant noted the tutor must be someone who attended "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told the expert the selected educator should preferably also have familiarity of or interest in riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a wide range of interests.
Furthermore though, he said 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 approximately three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son become a "English gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and create opportunities.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he comments.
But, notwithstanding all this guidance in "English culture", could the child absorb so-called cultural bias from the globally influenced family he lives with anyway?
"Yes", replied he. "They know this could fail, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as early as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the tutoring industry who share these concerns.
Peter Cui, chief executive of Blue Education, who supplies private tutors, wrote that "the journey of embracing two identities, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
Peter explained that he had relocated from the Far East to the Britain at the period of 7 years old, and had been brought up knowing and embodying two backgrounds. He progressed to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that one individual can serve as a living vessel of Britishness, someone who can somehow impart the characteristics of a UK sophisticate onto a infant child, strikes me as optimistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"Based on my background, employing a distinctly UK tutor from babyhood will does not necessarily create the result they want.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to enjoy many of the situations they aspire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, personal identity can not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, UK identity is something the expert thinks can be instructed – and marketed.
"I believe the fact that the international society regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
