"A household residing in North London wants to find an remarkable and skilled educator to assist their most junior child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might easily overlook the phrase "initial stages" as simple an expression.
But, it might be the crucial part of this distinctive employment listing, as it seeks to recruit a tutor for a one-year-old.
Numerous of responses have already been submitted since the unnamed family posted their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has gained interest in the press, with many questioning why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their search, explained that notwithstanding early doubt, he viewed the idea "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he said they appreciated the atypical character of their demand, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already become established".
What precisely does the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", Adam replied. "How you eat, how you speak".
He explained the firstborn had adopted "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family explained to the consultant they wished to avoid the same situation to repeat itself with their new baby.
The plan: To hire a British tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the development at the outset here is kind of acquired indirectly," explained the CEO.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will adopt the English characteristics they wish to instil.
He noted the tutor needed to be an individual who went to "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to the expert the chosen tutor should preferably also have knowledge of or interest in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to influence the child in a wide range of passions.
Additionally though, he said the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son develop into a "British gentleman" will lead to success and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he notes.
But, in spite of all this tutelage in "English culture", might the child absorb so-called cultural leaning from the international family he resides with regardless?
"Yes", answered Adam. "They understand this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who share those doubts.
An education leader, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who supplies personal educators, stated that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
The expert explained that he had emigrated from the Far East to the Britain at the time of seven, and had been educated understanding and embodying dual heritages. He progressed to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that a single person can function as a living vessel of Britishness, an individual who can possibly transfer the qualities of a English gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, seems to me optimistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"Based on my background, engaging a distinctly English tutor from infancy will will not necessarily create the goal they hope for.
"I never had such a tutor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to enjoy several of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, self-identity cannot be dictated from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, English culture is something the CEO thinks can be taught – and commercialized.
"I believe the fact that the world views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
