"A household residing in north London wants to find an exceptional and experienced tutor to assist their youngest child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might naturally overlook the wording "initial stages" as simple a turn of phrase.
However, it could be the most important aspect of this unique employment listing, as it seeks to recruit a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of responses have already been sent in since the anonymous family published their call for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the advert has attracted interest throughout the news, with several asking why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their hunt, stated that in spite of early doubt, he viewed the idea "visionary", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he said they understood the unusual character of their requirement, and how young their son is.
But, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already set in".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam responded. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the elder child had picked up "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family informed him they wished to avoid the same situation to recur with their new baby.
The plan: To hire a British tutor, who should speak with RP, to shape the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the learning at the start here is rather acquired indirectly," explained Adam.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will adopt the British traits they want to instil.
He explained the tutor must be somebody who went to "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to him the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to inspire the child in a wide range of interests.
Additionally though, he explained the family desired the tutor to register the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will result in success and open doors.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he notes.
However, in spite of all this instruction in "UK identity", would the child absorb alleged cultural bias from the multicultural family he lives with in any case?
"Yes", replied he. "The family know this might not succeed, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the education sector who express similar reservations.
An education leader, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who supplies personal educators, stated that "the process of becoming bicultural, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
Peter wrote that he had relocated from Asia to the Britain at the age of seven, and had been educated experiencing and embodying both cultures. He went on to study at Cambridge University.
"The concept that one individual can serve as a embodiment of UK identity, an individual who can somehow transfer the attributes of a British gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, appears naive and unrealistic," he commented.
"From my perspective, having a quintessentially English tutor from early childhood will does not automatically produce the result they want.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to enjoy numerous of the situations they desire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, personal identity should not be imposed from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, Britishness is something the CEO believes can be taught – and marketed.
"I believe the situation that the international society regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
