"A family located in North London seeks an extraordinary and skilled instructor to assist their smallest child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might easily skip the term "initial stages" as simple figurative language.
But, it might be the most important element of this distinctive employment listing, as it seeks to find a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of submissions have now been sent in since the anonymous family advertised their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has received interest throughout the media, with several asking why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, chief executive of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their quest, stated that despite initial doubt, he viewed the concept "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unusual character of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already set in".
What precisely did the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam replied. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He said the older sibling had absorbed "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family informed the consultant they wished to avoid the same situation to recur with their new baby.
The strategy: To hire a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the development at the start here is rather acquired indirectly," explained the CEO.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will pick up the British traits they wish to instil.
Adam said the tutor had to be somebody who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Money No Object
The family informed the expert the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in riding, skiing, the arts and music so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Additionally though, he said the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will result in accomplishment and provide access.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he notes.
However, despite all this guidance in "English culture", might the child pick up what is termed cultural bias from the multicultural family he resides with regardless?
"Absolutely", said Adam. "The family realize this could fail, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'we should try and we should start as soon as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the education sector who have those concerns.
An education leader, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who provides personal educators, wrote that "the development of embracing two identities, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
Peter noted that he had relocated from Asia to the Britain at the time of 7 years old, and had been brought up knowing and practicing both cultures. He progressed to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that a single person can function as a representation of English culture, an individual who can somehow impart the attributes of a English gentleman to a 12-month-old child, appears idealistic and impractical," he stated.
"Based on my background, having a typically UK tutor from babyhood will does not automatically create the result they desire.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and yet I have been privileged enough to enjoy several of the situations they desire for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, cultural identity should not be imposed from the outside; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, English culture is something Adam believes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"In my view the situation that the international society holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
