"A household residing in the northern part of London seeks an exceptional and skilled educator to guide their youngest child on his first steps to growing into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might naturally miss the term "beginning" as simple a turn of phrase.
However, it could be the crucial element of this distinctive position posting, as it aims to recruit a mentor for a infant.
Many of submissions have already been submitted since the anonymous family posted their search for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has attracted interest across the media, with several questioning why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, chief executive of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their quest, said that in spite of early scepticism, he found the idea "visionary", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he said they appreciated the unusual nature of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural bias had already become established".
What precisely does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", he replied. "How you eat, how you speak".
He stated the firstborn had adopted "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family informed him they did not want this pattern to happen again with their new baby.
The plan: To bring in a UK tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the education at the beginning here is somewhat acquired indirectly," explained Adam.
It's via this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will pick up the English characteristics they aim to instil.
The consultant noted the tutor needed to be somebody who attended "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Money No Object
The family informed Adam the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in riding, alpine skiing, the arts and music so as to influence the child in a wide range of interests.
Furthermore though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son become a "English gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and provide access.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he comments.
However, in spite of all this instruction in "Britishness", could the child pick up what is termed cultural leaning from the international family he is raised by regardless?
"Absolutely", answered Adam. "The family realize this could fail, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as early as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the private teaching field who have these reservations.
An education leader, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who also offer private tutors, commented that "the development of embracing two identities, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
The expert noted that he had moved from China to the Britain at the time of 7 years old, and had been raised experiencing and living dual heritages. He progressed to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that one individual can serve as a embodiment of UK identity, someone who can in some way transplant the qualities of a British gentleman onto a infant child, appears naive and unfeasible," he stated.
"In my experience, employing a typically English tutor from infancy will does not instantly create the goal they want.
"I never had such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to live several 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 be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, UK identity is something the CEO thinks can be educated – and commercialized.
"I think the situation that the world holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
