"A household located in North London is looking for an exceptional and experienced instructor to assist their smallest child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might easily overlook the wording "beginning" as just a turn of phrase.
Yet, it might be the crucial aspect of this unique position posting, as it aims to find a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Many of applications have since been submitted since the unnamed family posted their request for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the post has attracted attention throughout the media, with many questioning why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their quest, stated that despite early doubt, he found the plan "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they appreciated the unusual character of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
However, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already become established".
But what did the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", he answered. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the older sibling had absorbed "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family informed him they did not want the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The plan: To engage a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the learning at the outset here is somewhat osmotic," stated Adam.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will adopt the British traits they wish to impart.
He noted the tutor must be someone who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor must be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed him the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in equestrian activities, winter sports, the arts and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a wide range of passions.
Furthermore though, he said the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a range of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son develop into a "English gentleman" will result in success and create opportunities.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he adds.
But, in spite of all this instruction in "UK identity", might the child adopt so-called cultural bias from the international family he lives with regardless?
"Yes", replied Adam. "They realize this could fail, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'we should try and we should start as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he said.
Impractical
Several in the education sector who express those concerns.
Another CEO, chief executive of a tutoring service, who provides personal educators, stated that "the journey of embracing two identities, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
The expert explained that he had moved from China to the Britain at the age of seven, and had been raised knowing and practicing two backgrounds. He went on to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that a single person can act as a living vessel of Britishness, someone who can somehow transplant the characteristics of a English gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, seems to me optimistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"From my perspective, having a typically UK tutor from babyhood will will not automatically achieve the result they desire.
"I did not have such a figure, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to enjoy numerous of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He added: "The fact is, personal identity should not be forced from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the CEO believes can be educated – and sold.
"I believe the fact that the global community regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
