"A household located in North London is looking for an exceptional and qualified tutor to support their youngest child on his early path to turning into an English gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might readily miss the phrase "initial stages" as mere an expression.
Yet, it may be the most significant element of this unusual employment listing, as it aims to hire a tutor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of submissions have since been sent in since the unnamed family published their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the post has gained interest in the news, with several asking why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their hunt, stated that in spite of early doubt, he viewed the plan "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they appreciated the atypical aspect of their request, and how immature their son is.
But, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had already set in".
What precisely does the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert answered. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the firstborn had adopted "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family told the consultant they wished to avoid history to repeat itself with their infant.
The plan: To bring in a English tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the education at the start here is somewhat osmotic," explained the expert.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will acquire the UK customs they want to cultivate.
He noted the tutor must be an individual who went to "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Money No Object
The family informed the expert the chosen tutor should preferably also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in horse riding, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
More than that though, he said the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of classes 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 view, helping their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will bring about success and open doors.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he comments.
Yet, despite all this instruction in "UK identity", might the child adopt what is termed cultural leaning from the multicultural family he resides with anyway?
"Yes", said the CEO. "The parents know this might not succeed, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as soon as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the education sector who share these concerns.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who provides personal educators, commented that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
Peter noted that he had moved from the Far East to the UK at the time of 7 years old, and had been educated experiencing and practicing two backgrounds. He went on to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that one individual can serve as a living vessel of UK identity, a person who can in some way transfer the characteristics of a British gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, strikes me as optimistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"In my experience, engaging a quintessentially English tutor from infancy will will not automatically create the result they desire.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and however I have been privileged enough to enjoy numerous of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, self-identity can not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Of course, Britishness is something the CEO thinks can be taught – and sold.
"In my view the fact that the world holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
