"A household residing in North London wants to find an exceptional and experienced tutor to support their smallest child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might naturally overlook the wording "initial stages" as simple figurative language.
However, it may be the most important part of this unique job advert, as it seeks to recruit a mentor for a one-year-old.
Numerous of submissions have now been received since the unnamed family published their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the listing has gained interest across the press, with several questioning why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their quest, said that in spite of initial skepticism, he viewed the idea "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he noted they understood the unusual aspect of their request, and how young their son is.
However, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already set in".
What exactly does the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", the expert responded. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He said the elder child had adopted "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family told him they wished to avoid history to repeat itself with their new baby.
The plan: To hire a UK tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the learning at the outset here is kind of acquired indirectly," explained Adam.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will acquire the English characteristics they want to cultivate.
Adam explained the tutor needed to be an individual who studied at "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to him the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Furthermore though, he said the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son become a "UK sophisticate" will bring about accomplishment and provide access.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he comments.
However, notwithstanding all this instruction in "Britishness", would the child pick up what is termed cultural influence from the international family he lives with regardless?
"Certainly", replied the CEO. "The family realize this may not work, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'we should try and let's go as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he explained.
Impractical
A number of in the education sector who share these reservations.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who also offer personal educators, wrote that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
He explained that he had emigrated from China to the United Kingdom at the time of childhood, and had been raised experiencing and living both cultures. He progressed to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that one individual can act as a embodiment of UK identity, someone who can possibly transfer the qualities of a British gentleman to a one-year-old child, appears naive and unrealistic," he commented.
"Based on my background, having a distinctly English tutor from babyhood will will not automatically create the outcome they desire.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and yet I have been lucky enough to enjoy numerous of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He added: "The truth is, cultural identity can not be imposed from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the CEO believes can be taught – and commercialized.
"In my view the reality that the world holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
