"A family residing in North London seeks an remarkable and skilled instructor to support their youngest child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might naturally overlook the term "initial stages" as just an expression.
Yet, it might be the most important part of this distinctive employment listing, as it attempts to recruit a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Many of responses have already been received since the anonymous family published their search for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the advert has received notice throughout the news, with many wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their search, explained that notwithstanding early doubt, he considered the idea "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unusual character of their request, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already set in".
What exactly did the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert replied. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He stated the firstborn had picked up "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family explained to the consultant they did not want history to happen again with their younger child.
The intention: To hire a British tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the learning at the start here is kind of osmotic," explained Adam.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will adopt the UK customs they wish to cultivate.
The consultant noted the tutor had to be an individual who attended "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed the expert the selected educator should preferably also have understanding of or passion in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a wide range of hobbies.
More than that though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son develop into a "British gentleman" will lead to success and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he comments.
Yet, notwithstanding all this guidance in "UK identity", might the child pick up so-called cultural influence from the multicultural family he resides with anyway?
"Certainly", said the CEO. "They know this may not work, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he stated.
Impractical
A number of in the private teaching field who have these concerns.
An education leader, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who supplies personal educators, stated that "the process of becoming bicultural, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
He wrote that he had emigrated from the Far East to the UK at the age of childhood, and had been educated understanding and embodying two backgrounds. He went on to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that one individual can act as a embodiment of English culture, an individual who can somehow impart the characteristics of a British gentleman to a infant child, seems to me optimistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"In my experience, engaging a distinctly English tutor from babyhood will does not instantly create the goal they want.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and however I have been lucky enough to enjoy many of the situations they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, self-identity can not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Of course, English culture is something the CEO believes can be educated – and commercialized.
"In my view the fact that the global community views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
