"A household based in North London wants to find an extraordinary and qualified educator to support their most junior child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might readily overlook the phrase "initial stages" as simple a turn of phrase.
But, it could be the most significant part of this unique position posting, as it aims to recruit a teacher for a infant.
Many of responses have since been submitted since the unidentified family advertised their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has received interest throughout the press, with numerous questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their quest, stated that in spite of first scepticism, he found the plan "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he said they recognized the unusual character of their request, and how early in age their son is.
However, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already set in".
What precisely did the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", he answered. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He said the elder child had picked up "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family informed him they hoped to prevent history to recur with their infant.
The strategy: To hire a UK tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the learning at the outset here is somewhat acquired indirectly," said the expert.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will pick up the UK customs they wish to instil.
He noted the tutor had to be an individual who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator must be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed the expert the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of interests.
Furthermore though, he said the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son develop into a "English gentleman" will bring about success and open doors.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he adds.
However, notwithstanding all this instruction in "English culture", would the child adopt alleged cultural bias from the international family he resides with in any case?
"Yes", answered the CEO. "The parents realize this could fail, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as early as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he stated.
Impractical
Several in the tutoring industry who express those concerns.
Peter Cui, chief executive of a tutoring service, who provides individual instructors, stated that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
Peter noted that he had relocated from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the period of childhood, and had been educated experiencing and embodying both cultures. He continued to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that an individual can serve as a living vessel of Britishness, someone who can somehow transplant the characteristics of a UK sophisticate upon a infant child, appears naive and unfeasible," he commented.
"Based on my background, employing a distinctly English tutor from infancy will will not instantly achieve the goal they want.
"I did not have such a tutor, and yet I have been lucky enough to live many of the situations they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, cultural identity can not be forced from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the expert hopes can be educated – and sold.
"I think the situation that the world holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
