"A household located in North London seeks an extraordinary and skilled educator to support their youngest child on his early path to becoming an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might naturally overlook the term "initial stages" as just a turn of phrase.
Yet, it might be the most significant aspect of this unique job advert, as it aims to find a tutor for a one-year-old.
Numerous of responses have now been received since the unidentified family published their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has gained interest across the press, with several questioning why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their search, explained that in spite of initial scepticism, he found the concept "visionary", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he mentioned they understood the atypical aspect of their demand, and how immature their son is.
But, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already become established".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert replied. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He stated the firstborn had adopted "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family explained to him they did not want this pattern to repeat itself with their infant.
The intention: To engage a UK tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the education at the start here is kind of absorbed naturally," explained the CEO.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will acquire the English characteristics they aim to impart.
He explained the tutor had to be somebody who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed the expert the selected educator should preferably also have understanding of or enthusiasm in riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a diverse set of passions.
Additionally though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, assisting their son become a "UK sophisticate" will lead to accomplishment and open doors.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he notes.
However, notwithstanding all this guidance in "English culture", might the child pick up so-called cultural influence from the multicultural family he lives with in any case?
"Yes", said Adam. "The family realize this could fail, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the private teaching field who share these concerns.
Another CEO, chief executive of an educational organization, who provides individual instructors, commented that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
He wrote that he had moved from China to the UK at the age of childhood, and had been raised knowing and embodying dual heritages. He progressed to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that a single person can serve as a representation of UK identity, a person who can possibly impart the qualities of a English gentleman upon a one-year-old child, appears naive and unrealistic," he wrote.
"From my perspective, employing a quintessentially English tutor from early childhood will not necessarily achieve the outcome they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to experience many of the situations they hope for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, cultural identity cannot be forced from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be educated – and sold.
"I think the reality that the global community holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
