"A family based in north London wants to find an exceptional and skilled tutor to guide their smallest child on his first steps to turning into an English gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might readily miss the wording "initial stages" as simple figurative language.
But, it might be the crucial aspect of this unique job advert, as it attempts to hire a teacher for a infant.
Many of submissions have now been sent in since the unnamed family advertised their call for the highly paid tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has received attention in the press, with several asking why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, head and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their search, explained that despite early doubt, he considered the concept "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he noted they appreciated the atypical nature of their request, and how immature their son is.
However, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", the expert replied. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He explained the older sibling had absorbed "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family told him they hoped to prevent history to repeat itself with their new baby.
The intention: To bring in a English tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the development at the start here is rather osmotic," explained the expert.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will acquire the British traits they wish to cultivate.
The consultant noted the tutor had to be someone who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed him the selected educator should preferably also have familiarity of or interest in equestrian activities, skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of interests.
More than that though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son become a "English gentleman" will lead to achievement and open doors.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he notes.
Yet, in spite of all this instruction in "Britishness", would the child pick up what is termed cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he resides with in any case?
"Certainly", said Adam. "The family understand this may not work, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the tutoring industry who share those concerns.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who supplies individual instructors, stated that "the process of embracing two identities, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
Peter explained that he had relocated from China to the Britain at the period of seven, and had been raised knowing and living both cultures. He went on to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The concept that one individual can function as a representation of Britishness, an individual who can in some way impart the attributes of a UK sophisticate to a 12-month-old child, appears idealistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"Based on my background, having a quintessentially UK tutor from babyhood will not instantly achieve the goal they want.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to enjoy many of the experiences they hope for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, self-identity should not be forced from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, English culture is something Adam believes can be educated – and commercialized.
"I think the fact that the global community holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
