"A family based in the northern part of London seeks an extraordinary and experienced tutor to support their youngest child on his first steps to turning into an English gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might readily skip the wording "initial stages" as mere a turn of phrase.
However, it may be the crucial aspect of this unique job advert, as it attempts to find a mentor for a infant.
Numerous of responses have already been received since the anonymous family posted their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the post has gained interest throughout the press, with numerous wondering why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their quest, explained that in spite of first skepticism, he viewed the plan "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they recognized the unconventional nature of their request, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already taken hold".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", he replied. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the older sibling had picked up "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family informed Adam they wished to avoid the same situation to repeat itself with their new baby.
The intention: To bring in a UK tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the development at the beginning here is rather osmotic," explained the CEO.
It's via this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will acquire the British traits they want to impart.
The consultant explained the tutor had to be somebody who attended "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed the expert the chosen tutor should preferably also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in riding, skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to influence the child in a wide range of interests.
More than that though, he said the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son grow into a "British gentleman" will result in accomplishment and create opportunities.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he notes.
But, despite all this tutelage in "English culture", could the child pick up what is termed cultural bias from the multicultural family he resides with in any case?
"Absolutely", said Adam. "The parents understand this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as early as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Impractical
There are some in the tutoring industry who express those doubts.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who also offer personal educators, wrote that "the development of embracing two identities, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
The expert explained that he had relocated from the Far East to the Britain at the age of seven, and had been raised knowing and embodying both cultures. He progressed to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that one individual can act as a representation of Britishness, an individual who can somehow transplant the qualities of a English gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, seems to me naive and unfeasible," he commented.
"Based on my background, having a typically English tutor from infancy will will not necessarily achieve the goal they desire.
"I did not have such a figure, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to experience many of the experiences they hope for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, personal identity cannot be forced from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, English culture is something the CEO thinks can be educated – and commercialized.
"I think the reality that the international society views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
