"A household residing in North London is looking for an exceptional and skilled educator to assist their youngest child on his initial journey to turning into an English gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might easily overlook the term "initial stages" as simple figurative language.
But, it could be the most important aspect of this distinctive employment listing, as it aims to find a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of submissions have now been received since the unidentified family advertised their request for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the advert has received interest throughout the news, with several wondering why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their hunt, explained that despite early scepticism, he found the idea "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he noted they recognized the atypical character of their requirement, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had by then become established".
What precisely did the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam answered. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the older sibling had picked up "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family told Adam they hoped to prevent history to repeat itself with their new baby.
The strategy: To engage a British tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the education at the outset here is rather absorbed naturally," said Adam.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will adopt the English characteristics they wish to instil.
The consultant noted the tutor must be somebody who studied at "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to the expert the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
Furthermore though, he said the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son grow into a "British gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and provide access.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he comments.
Yet, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "UK identity", could the child pick up what is termed cultural leaning from the multicultural family he lives with regardless?
"Yes", answered the CEO. "The family know 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 cost of it is not a concern," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the education sector who have those doubts.
Peter Cui, head and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer personal educators, wrote that "the journey of embracing two identities, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
Peter wrote that he had relocated from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the time of childhood, and had been educated understanding and practicing two backgrounds. He continued to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that an individual can function as a representation of Britishness, an individual who can somehow transfer the characteristics of a UK sophisticate upon a 12-month-old child, seems to me naive and unfeasible," he commented.
"Based on my background, having a quintessentially UK tutor from early childhood will will not instantly achieve the result they hope for.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to enjoy numerous of the situations they hope for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, cultural identity should not be dictated from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, English culture is something the expert thinks can be taught – and sold.
"I think the reality that the world holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
