"A household residing in North London is looking for an extraordinary and experienced tutor to assist their smallest child on his initial journey to growing into an English gentleman."
When reading this post, you might readily overlook the wording "initial stages" as simple figurative language.
However, it might be the most important aspect of this unique job advert, as it attempts to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of responses have now been received since the anonymous family published their search for the highly paid tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the listing has received interest throughout the media, with many questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, head and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their search, said that notwithstanding early doubt, he viewed the plan "visionary", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they recognized the unusual nature of their requirement, and how young their son is.
However, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had by then become established".
What precisely does the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert replied. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the elder child had adopted "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family informed him they hoped to prevent the same situation to repeat itself with their younger child.
The intention: To bring in a British tutor, who should speak with RP, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the education at the beginning here is somewhat absorbed naturally," said Adam.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will acquire the English characteristics they wish to impart.
Adam explained the tutor must be somebody who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed the expert the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or passion in equestrian activities, winter sports, the arts and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Additionally though, he said the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son become a "UK sophisticate" will lead to accomplishment and open doors.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he comments.
However, in spite of all this instruction in "English culture", might the child adopt alleged cultural influence from the globally influenced family he lives with anyway?
"Yes", answered the CEO. "The parents know this may not work, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he stated.
Impractical
Several in the education sector who share these concerns.
Peter Cui, chief executive of a tutoring service, who provides private tutors, commented that "the process of embracing two identities, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
Peter noted that he had relocated from China to the United Kingdom at the age of seven, and had been brought up experiencing and living dual heritages. He continued to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that one individual can serve as a representation of UK identity, a person who can in some way transfer the characteristics of a English gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, appears naive and unrealistic," he wrote.
"In my experience, engaging a distinctly UK tutor from babyhood will will not instantly create the result they want.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to live numerous of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The reality is, self-identity cannot be forced from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, Britishness is something the expert hopes can be instructed – and marketed.
"I believe the reality that the world views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
