"Parents based in north London wants to find an exceptional and skilled tutor to guide their smallest child on his first steps to turning into an English gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might readily overlook the term "initial stages" as just figurative language.
Yet, it could be the most significant element of this unusual position posting, as it aims to recruit a tutor for a one-year-old.
Many of submissions have since been submitted since the unnamed family published their search for the highly paid tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has gained attention in the media, with several asking why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their quest, explained that in spite of first scepticism, he viewed the idea "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he said they recognized the unusual nature of their request, and how immature their son is.
However, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already set in".
What exactly does the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam responded. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He stated the older sibling had picked up "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family informed the consultant they did not want history to recur with their younger child.
The strategy: To engage a UK tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the development at the start here is rather absorbed naturally," stated Adam.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will pick up the UK customs they wish to cultivate.
The consultant noted the tutor must be someone who studied at "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or interest in riding, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to inspire the child in a wide range of passions.
Furthermore though, he explained the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a range of lessons 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 perspective, guiding their son become a "UK sophisticate" will lead to accomplishment and provide access.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he notes.
But, notwithstanding all this guidance in "UK identity", would the child adopt alleged cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he lives with regardless?
"Absolutely", answered the CEO. "The family understand this may not work, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he said.
Impractical
Several in the private teaching field who share these concerns.
An education leader, head and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer individual instructors, wrote that "the development of becoming bicultural, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
The expert noted that he had relocated from Asia to the UK at the period of 7 years old, and had been educated experiencing and embodying two backgrounds. He went on to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that an individual can act as a living vessel of Britishness, an individual who can possibly transplant the qualities of a English gentleman upon a infant child, seems to me idealistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"In my experience, having a quintessentially English tutor from babyhood will will not instantly achieve the outcome they hope for.
"I never had such a figure, and yet I have been lucky enough to experience several of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, cultural identity can not be dictated from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, UK identity is something the expert believes can be instructed – and marketed.
"I believe the reality that the international society views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
