"A family based in north London wants to find an extraordinary and experienced tutor to assist their youngest child on his first steps to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might easily miss the wording "initial stages" as mere figurative language.
Yet, it could be the crucial aspect of this unusual employment listing, as it aims to find a tutor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of submissions have now been received since the anonymous family published their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has gained interest across the news, with many wondering why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their search, said that in spite of initial doubt, he viewed the idea "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he said they recognized the unusual aspect of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already become established".
What precisely did the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", he answered. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He said the older sibling had picked up "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family explained to him they did not want the same situation to recur with their younger child.
The plan: To engage a British tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the education at the start here is kind of acquired indirectly," stated the expert.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will adopt the British traits they wish to cultivate.
The consultant noted the tutor needed to be an individual who attended "the right kinds of schools – 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 may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, winter sports, creative fields and music so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
Furthermore though, he said the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son become a "UK sophisticate" will lead to achievement and create opportunities.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he notes.
But, in spite of all this guidance in "English culture", could the child absorb so-called cultural influence from the multicultural family he is raised by regardless?
"Absolutely", answered Adam. "The parents realize this could fail, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the education sector who express those reservations.
Another CEO, head and founder of Blue Education, who supplies personal educators, commented that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
Peter explained that he had emigrated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the time of 7 years old, and had been raised knowing and practicing two backgrounds. He continued to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that an individual can act as a representation of UK identity, a person who can somehow transplant the characteristics of a British gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, appears optimistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"Based on my background, having a typically English tutor from babyhood will will not instantly create the result they hope for.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and however I have been lucky enough to experience many of the situations they hope for their son."
He added: "The fact is, self-identity can not be forced from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Of course, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I believe the fact that the world views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
