"A family located in North London wants to find an exceptional and experienced educator to assist their youngest child on his initial journey to becoming an English gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might naturally overlook the wording "initial stages" as just a turn of phrase.
However, it might be the most significant part of this distinctive position posting, as it seeks to hire a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Many of submissions have already been received since the anonymous family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the post has gained notice in the news, with many wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their hunt, stated that in spite of first skepticism, he viewed the plan "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he mentioned they appreciated the atypical nature of their request, and how immature their son is.
However, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural influence had by then taken hold".
But what did the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", he answered. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He said the older sibling had adopted "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family explained to him they did not want this pattern to recur with their younger child.
The plan: To bring in a UK tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the learning at the outset here is kind of absorbed naturally," explained Adam.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will adopt the UK customs they wish to cultivate.
The consultant noted the tutor needed to be an individual who studied at "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed him the successful candidate should preferably also have knowledge of or passion in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
Additionally though, he stated the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son grow into a "English gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and open doors.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he adds.
But, notwithstanding all this guidance in "Britishness", would the child adopt so-called cultural bias from the multicultural family he is raised by anyway?
"Absolutely", said he. "They understand this could fail, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'we should try and let's go as early as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the tutoring industry who share similar reservations.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer private tutors, stated that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
Peter wrote that he had emigrated from China to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised understanding and practicing both cultures. He continued to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that one individual can serve as a living vessel of English culture, someone who can somehow impart the attributes of a British gentleman to a 12-month-old child, strikes me as optimistic and unrealistic," he stated.
"Based on my background, having a typically UK tutor from infancy will will not instantly create the result they desire.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and however I have been privileged enough to live several of the situations they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The reality is, self-identity should not be imposed from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, English culture is something the CEO hopes can be taught – and sold.
"I believe the fact that the international society regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
