"A household located in the northern part of London seeks an remarkable and skilled tutor to support their youngest child on his initial journey to turning into an English gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might easily overlook the phrase "initial stages" as simple an expression.
But, it might be the most important aspect of this unique job advert, as it seeks to recruit a mentor for a one-year-old.
Many of submissions have now been received since the unidentified family posted their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the post has attracted interest throughout the news, with several asking why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, head and founder of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their hunt, said that in spite of first doubt, he viewed the plan "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he said they appreciated the unusual nature of their demand, and how immature their son is.
However, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural influence had by then become established".
What precisely does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam replied. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He said the older sibling had absorbed "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family told Adam they hoped to prevent this pattern to recur with their younger child.
The strategy: To hire a English tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to influence the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the education at the start here is rather absorbed naturally," said the expert.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will adopt the UK customs they want to cultivate.
The consultant said the tutor must be someone who studied at "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 suitable individual, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in riding, skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
Furthermore though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son grow into a "English gentleman" will bring about achievement and provide access.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he notes.
Yet, in spite of all this tutelage in "UK identity", would the child adopt what is termed cultural influence from the multicultural family he lives with anyway?
"Absolutely", answered the CEO. "They understand this may not work, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he said.
Impractical
There are some in the education sector who share these reservations.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who provides personal educators, commented that "the process of becoming bicultural, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
Peter explained that he had emigrated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the time of 7 years old, and had been educated knowing and living dual heritages. He continued to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that a single person can function as a embodiment of English culture, someone who can somehow impart the characteristics of a UK sophisticate onto a infant child, strikes me as idealistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"Based on my background, employing a quintessentially UK tutor from early childhood will does not instantly achieve the goal they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and however I have been privileged enough to experience numerous of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, self-identity cannot be forced from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, Britishness is something the CEO thinks can be educated – and sold.
"I believe the situation that the world views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
