"A family based in north London wants to find an extraordinary and skilled tutor to guide their smallest child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might easily miss the term "initial stages" as just an expression.
But, it might be the most significant element of this distinctive employment listing, as it attempts to hire a tutor for a infant.
Hundreds of responses have since been sent in since the unnamed family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the post has gained notice throughout the news, with many asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their quest, said that notwithstanding initial scepticism, he considered the plan "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they recognized the unconventional aspect of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already set in".
What precisely does the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam responded. "How you eat, how you speak".
He explained the older sibling had absorbed "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family informed him they hoped to prevent the same situation to repeat itself with their new baby.
The intention: To bring in a UK tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the education at the start here is rather acquired indirectly," explained Adam.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will adopt the English characteristics they want to impart.
The consultant explained the tutor must be someone who attended "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to him the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or passion in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Additionally though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son become a "British gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and open doors.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he adds.
Yet, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "Britishness", might the child absorb alleged cultural bias from the multicultural family he resides with in any case?
"Absolutely", answered the CEO. "The family realize this might not succeed, but they've just taken the view of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as soon as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the tutoring industry who have those reservations.
An education leader, chief executive of Blue Education, who supplies personal educators, wrote that "the process of embracing two identities, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
The expert noted that he had moved from China to the Britain at the period of seven, and had been educated experiencing and living two backgrounds. He continued to study at Cambridge University.
"The idea that one individual can function as a representation of English culture, a person who can in some way transfer the qualities of a British gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, strikes me as naive and unfeasible," he stated.
"Based on my background, engaging a distinctly UK tutor from infancy will not necessarily achieve the outcome they want.
"I never had such a tutor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to live several of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, self-identity cannot be imposed from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, English culture is something the expert believes can be taught – and marketed.
"In my view the reality that the world views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
