"Parents residing in the northern part of London seeks an exceptional and experienced tutor to support their youngest child on his first steps to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might naturally miss the wording "initial stages" as just figurative language.
However, it could be the most important part of this distinctive employment listing, as it seeks to hire a tutor for a one-year-old.
Many of responses have since been submitted since the anonymous family published their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has attracted interest throughout the news, with several asking why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their search, said that in spite of initial scepticism, he found the idea "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they understood the unconventional aspect of their request, and how immature their son is.
But, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already taken hold".
But what did the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", the expert answered. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the firstborn had adopted "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family told him they hoped to prevent the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The plan: To hire a British tutor, who must speak with RP, to shape the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the learning at the beginning here is kind of osmotic," said the CEO.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will pick up the English characteristics they wish to impart.
Adam explained the tutor had to be someone who went to "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, winter sports, artistic pursuits and music so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Additionally though, he said the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will result in accomplishment and create opportunities.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he comments.
However, despite all this tutelage in "UK identity", would the child adopt what is termed cultural influence from the multicultural family he is raised by anyway?
"Absolutely", replied the CEO. "They understand this may not work, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the education sector who express similar doubts.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who provides personal educators, wrote that "the journey of embracing two identities, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
Peter wrote that he had relocated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the time of 7 years old, and had been raised experiencing and living both cultures. He progressed to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that an individual can function as a living vessel of Britishness, a person who can in some way impart the characteristics of a UK sophisticate onto a infant child, seems to me idealistic and impractical," he commented.
"In my experience, having a distinctly English tutor from infancy will will not instantly create the result they hope for.
"I never had such a figure, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to live several of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He added: "The reality is, cultural identity cannot be imposed from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, English culture is something the CEO believes can be instructed – and marketed.
"I believe the fact that the world holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
