"A family residing in north London seeks an exceptional and qualified educator to assist their smallest child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might easily miss the wording "initial stages" as simple figurative language.
However, it could be the most important element of this unique employment listing, as it attempts to recruit a tutor for a infant.
Numerous of applications have already been submitted since the unnamed family posted their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the post has gained attention across the press, with several questioning why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their search, said that in spite of early scepticism, he considered the idea "visionary", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he said they understood the unconventional nature of their requirement, and how young their son is.
But, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
What exactly does the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert responded. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He explained the older sibling had adopted "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family told him they did not want the same situation to recur with their younger child.
The strategy: To engage a UK tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the education at the start here is kind of osmotic," said Adam.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will adopt the UK customs they wish to instil.
Adam noted the tutor had to be an individual who attended "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Money No Object
The family explained to the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in horse riding, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
Additionally though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son grow into a "British gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and create opportunities.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he comments.
However, in spite of all this guidance in "Britishness", could the child absorb what is termed cultural influence from the international family he lives with in any case?
"Yes", said the CEO. "The parents realize this might not succeed, but they've just taken the view of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he stated.
Impractical
There are some in the education sector who express those doubts.
Another CEO, chief executive of a tutoring service, who supplies individual instructors, commented that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
The expert explained that he had moved from the Far East to the Britain at the time of 7 years old, and had been raised experiencing and practicing dual heritages. He progressed to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that a single person can act as a representation of English culture, someone who can somehow transplant the attributes of a English gentleman to a 12-month-old child, appears naive and impractical," he commented.
"In my experience, having a quintessentially English tutor from infancy will not necessarily produce the result they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and however I have been fortunate enough to experience numerous of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, personal identity cannot be forced from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, English culture is something Adam believes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I think the reality that the global community holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
