"A household residing in North London is looking for an remarkable and skilled educator to assist their smallest child on his early path to turning into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might readily overlook the term "initial stages" as just a turn of phrase.
Yet, it may be the crucial part of this unique employment listing, as it aims to hire a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of applications have now been submitted since the unidentified family published their search for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the advert has gained interest in the press, with many questioning why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their hunt, stated that despite early doubt, he found the idea "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they understood the unconventional aspect of their request, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already set in".
What precisely does the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert replied. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He said the firstborn had picked up "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family told him they hoped to prevent history to recur with their new baby.
The strategy: To engage a English tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the development at the outset here is somewhat absorbed naturally," said the CEO.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will acquire the British traits they aim to cultivate.
The consultant explained the tutor had to be someone who studied at "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in equestrian activities, skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to shape the child in a wide range of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he said the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son develop into a "English gentleman" will bring about success and open doors.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he comments.
However, notwithstanding all this instruction in "UK identity", might the child adopt what is termed cultural leaning from the international family he resides with in any case?
"Yes", replied the CEO. "The family know this could fail, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'we should try and let's go as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he explained.
Impractical
There are some in the tutoring industry who express similar concerns.
Another CEO, head and founder of a tutoring service, who provides individual instructors, stated that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
The expert noted that he had moved from Asia to the UK at the time of childhood, and had been educated experiencing and embodying two backgrounds. He went on to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that an individual can act as a living vessel of Britishness, someone who can somehow transfer the attributes of a English gentleman onto a one-year-old child, appears naive and impractical," he stated.
"In my experience, engaging a typically English tutor from babyhood will does not instantly produce the goal they hope for.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to enjoy numerous of the experiences they hope for their son."
He stated: "The reality is, cultural identity should not be dictated from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, English culture is something the CEO thinks can be educated – and commercialized.
"I think the reality that the international society holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
