"Parents based in North London seeks an extraordinary and skilled educator to support their most junior child on his early path to becoming an English gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might readily miss the wording "initial stages" as simple a turn of phrase.
However, it could be the crucial part of this unique position posting, as it attempts to hire a mentor for a one-year-old.
Many of submissions have since been received since the anonymous family advertised their request for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the listing has received notice in the news, with numerous questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their search, explained that despite initial scepticism, he viewed the idea "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he noted they recognized the unusual nature of their requirement, and how young their son is.
But, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already become established".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", Adam replied. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He said the older sibling had picked up "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family explained to him they wished to avoid history to happen again with their new baby.
The intention: To hire a UK tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the learning at the start here is rather acquired indirectly," said Adam.
It's via this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will pick up the English characteristics they wish to cultivate.
He said the tutor must be an individual who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or passion in riding, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to shape the child in a diverse set of interests.
Furthermore though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son grow into a "English gentleman" will result in accomplishment and open doors.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he notes.
Yet, in spite of all this tutelage in "English culture", would the child adopt so-called cultural bias from the international family he is raised by regardless?
"Absolutely", answered the CEO. "The family realize this may not work, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as soon as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the private teaching field who have those reservations.
An education leader, chief executive of Blue Education, who supplies personal educators, stated that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
He explained that he had relocated from Asia to the Britain at the age of childhood, and had been brought up understanding and living dual heritages. He continued to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that a single person can serve as a representation of English culture, a person who can somehow transfer the characteristics of a British gentleman upon a infant child, seems to me naive and unfeasible," he commented.
"From my perspective, having a distinctly British tutor from early childhood will does not automatically achieve the result they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and yet I have been lucky enough to live several of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, self-identity can not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be educated – and sold.
"In my view the fact that the world holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
