"A family located in North London seeks an extraordinary and qualified educator to support their youngest child on his initial journey to turning into an English gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might readily skip the term "initial stages" as mere an expression.
But, it may be the crucial element of this unique job advert, as it seeks to find a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of applications have already been submitted since the anonymous family advertised their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the post has gained notice across the news, with several wondering why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their quest, said that despite first doubt, he found the idea "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he said they understood the unusual character of their request, and how early in age their son is.
However, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural bias had already set in".
What precisely did the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam responded. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He said the elder child had adopted "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family informed him they did not want history to recur with their younger child.
The intention: To engage a British tutor, who must speak with RP, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the learning at the beginning here is rather acquired indirectly," stated the CEO.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will adopt the UK customs they aim to cultivate.
He said the tutor had to be somebody who studied at "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Money No Object
The family explained to Adam the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in horse riding, winter sports, creative fields and music so as to inspire the child in a wide range of interests.
Furthermore though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a range of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will result in achievement and provide access.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he adds.
However, in spite of all this instruction in "Britishness", could the child pick up what is termed cultural bias from the international family he lives with regardless?
"Yes", said Adam. "The parents know this may not work, but they've just taken the view of, 'we should try and let's go as early as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the private teaching field who express those reservations.
Peter Cui, head and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer individual instructors, stated that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
The expert noted that he had relocated from China to the UK at the period of seven, and had been raised knowing and living both cultures. He progressed to learn at Cambridge University.
"The idea that one individual can serve as a living vessel of UK identity, a person who can somehow impart the attributes of a UK sophisticate upon a 12-month-old child, strikes me as idealistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"From my perspective, employing a quintessentially British tutor from early childhood will does not instantly achieve the result they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to live several of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, self-identity cannot be forced from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, Britishness is something the expert believes can be taught – and commercialized.
"I think the fact that the global community views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
