"A household residing in the northern part of London is looking for an exceptional and skilled tutor to assist their youngest child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might naturally miss the phrase "initial stages" as just an expression.
But, it could be the most important part of this unique job advert, as it attempts to find a mentor for a one-year-old.
Numerous of applications have since been sent in since the anonymous family advertised their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
In recent few weeks, the advert has attracted notice in the news, with many asking why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their quest, stated that notwithstanding first scepticism, he viewed the idea "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he noted they recognized the unconventional character of their demand, and how young their son is.
But, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already set in".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", Adam responded. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He explained the elder child had absorbed "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family explained to Adam they wished to avoid this pattern to happen again with their new baby.
The strategy: To engage a English tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to influence the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the development at the beginning here is somewhat osmotic," explained the CEO.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will adopt the UK customs they want to instil.
He said the tutor must be an individual who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in equestrian activities, skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a wide range of passions.
Furthermore though, he stated the family desired the tutor to register the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son develop into a "English gentleman" will result in success and provide access.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he notes.
But, notwithstanding all this guidance in "UK identity", might the child adopt alleged cultural bias from the multicultural family he resides with regardless?
"Absolutely", answered he. "The family understand this could fail, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as soon as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who have these concerns.
Peter Cui, head and founder of Blue Education, who supplies private tutors, wrote that "the process of becoming bicultural, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
He explained that he had moved from Asia to the Britain at the age of childhood, and had been raised knowing and embodying two backgrounds. He progressed to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The idea that one individual can serve as a embodiment of English culture, an individual who can in some way transplant the characteristics of a British gentleman upon a one-year-old child, seems to me idealistic and unrealistic," he stated.
"Based on my background, having a typically English tutor from infancy will will not necessarily produce the goal they desire.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to experience numerous of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He added: "The fact is, cultural identity cannot be forced from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, English culture is something the expert thinks can be instructed – and sold.
"In my view the reality that the international society views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
