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"Parents based in the northern part of London is looking for an exceptional and qualified educator to support their smallest child on his early path to becoming an English gentleman."

When reading this listing, you might naturally skip the phrase "initial stages" as mere a turn of phrase.

However, it may be the most important element of this unusual job advert, as it seeks to hire a teacher for a infant.

Numerous of submissions have since been submitted since the anonymous family advertised their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".

Over the last few weeks, the post has gained interest across the media, with numerous questioning why?

Progressive Approach

Adam Caller, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their search, stated that in spite of first doubt, he viewed the idea "forward-looking", and "innovative".

When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unconventional character of their demand, and how early in age their son is.

Nevertheless, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited 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 "all-encompassing", Adam replied. "How you eat, how you speak".

He said the older sibling had adopted "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family informed Adam they hoped to prevent the same situation to happen again with their new baby.

The plan: To bring in a UK tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby right from the beginning.

Subtle Influence

"A lot of the development at the outset here is kind of absorbed naturally," said Adam.

It's by means of this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will pick up the British traits they aim to instil.

The consultant noted the tutor must be someone who attended "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".

"The educator must be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he commented.

Cost Not Relevant

The family explained to him the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in horse riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a diverse set of passions.

Furthermore though, he said the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an instrument by the time they are around three years old".

In the family's minds, guiding their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will lead to accomplishment and create opportunities.

"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he comments.

But, in spite of all this instruction in "English culture", could the child absorb alleged cultural leaning from the international family he is raised by in any case?

"Yes", said he. "The parents know this could fail, but they've just taken the view of, 'we should try and let's go as quickly as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he said.

Idealistic and Unrealistic

Several in the private teaching field who have these concerns.

An education leader, chief executive of Blue Education, who supplies individual instructors, stated that "the development of embracing two identities, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."

He noted that he had emigrated from Asia to the Britain at the period of 7 years old, and had been raised knowing and practicing two backgrounds. He continued to learn at a prestigious UK institution.

"The notion that a single person can act as a embodiment of Britishness, someone who can in some way impart the qualities of a UK sophisticate to a one-year-old child, seems to me optimistic and impractical," he wrote.

"From my perspective, having a typically British tutor from babyhood will will not automatically achieve the outcome they desire.

"I never had such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to experience several of the situations they aspire for their son."

He added: "The reality is, cultural identity should not be forced from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."

Buying Britishness

Of course, UK identity is something Adam hopes can be educated – and commercialized.

"I think the fact that the global community regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating