"Parents based in the northern part of London seeks an remarkable and experienced educator to assist their most junior child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might readily miss the phrase "beginning" as simple a turn of phrase.
Yet, it may be the most significant aspect of this unique position posting, as it seeks to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Many of applications have now been received since the anonymous family published their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the post has received attention throughout the press, with numerous wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their hunt, said that notwithstanding early skepticism, he found the idea "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they recognized the atypical nature of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
But, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already become established".
What precisely did the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", the expert responded. "How you eat, how you speak".
He said the firstborn had adopted "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family told the consultant they hoped to prevent the same situation to happen again with their infant.
The strategy: To hire a British tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the development at the outset here is rather absorbed naturally," said Adam.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will acquire the British traits they wish to instil.
Adam noted the tutor must be an individual who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in equestrian activities, winter sports, the arts and music so as to influence the child in a wide range of hobbies.
More than that though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a range of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son become a "British gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and open doors.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he comments.
However, in spite of all this guidance in "Britishness", would the child adopt so-called cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he is raised by in any case?
"Certainly", said he. "The family realize this could fail, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he said.
Impractical
Several in the private teaching field who express similar doubts.
Another CEO, head and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer personal educators, stated that "the development of becoming bicultural, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
Peter wrote that he had moved from the Far East to the Britain at the time of childhood, and had been brought up knowing and embodying dual heritages. He progressed to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that an individual can function as a embodiment of Britishness, an individual who can in some way impart the attributes of a UK sophisticate onto a one-year-old child, seems to me naive and unrealistic," he stated.
"From my perspective, employing a quintessentially British tutor from early childhood will does not instantly achieve the outcome they hope for.
"I did not have such a figure, and however I have been fortunate enough to enjoy many of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, self-identity can not be forced from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, Britishness is something Adam believes can be educated – and sold.
"In my view the situation that the international society regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
