"A family located in North London seeks an remarkable and qualified tutor to guide their youngest child on his first steps to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might easily skip the wording "initial stages" as simple figurative language.
However, it might be the most significant aspect of this distinctive job advert, as it attempts to recruit a teacher for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of applications have already been received since the unnamed family posted their request for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the post has attracted interest in the media, with several wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, chief executive of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their quest, explained that notwithstanding first skepticism, he found the plan "visionary", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he mentioned they understood the atypical nature of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
However, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
What precisely did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert answered. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the firstborn had adopted "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family informed him they hoped to prevent the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The plan: To engage a UK tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the development at the start here is rather osmotic," stated Adam.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will adopt the English characteristics they wish to cultivate.
Adam said the tutor needed to be someone who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor 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 added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to the expert the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or interest in equestrian activities, skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a diverse set of passions.
Furthermore though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son grow into a "English gentleman" will result in accomplishment and create opportunities.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he comments.
However, in spite of all this guidance in "English culture", could the child pick up alleged cultural leaning from the international family he resides with anyway?
"Certainly", replied he. "They know this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the tutoring industry who share those reservations.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who supplies personal educators, wrote that "the journey of embracing two identities, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
The expert noted that he had moved from China to the Britain at the time of 7 years old, and had been brought up understanding and practicing dual heritages. He progressed to learn at Cambridge University.
"The idea that a single person can serve as a living vessel of English culture, a person who can possibly transplant the attributes of a English gentleman upon a infant child, strikes me as naive and unfeasible," he wrote.
"From my perspective, engaging a quintessentially UK tutor from infancy will will not instantly produce the outcome they want.
"I did not have such a tutor, and yet I have been privileged enough to live many of the situations they hope for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, personal identity can not be dictated from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, English culture is something the expert hopes can be taught – and sold.
"I think the situation that the international society views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
