"A household residing in north London is looking for an exceptional and experienced educator to support their smallest child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might readily overlook the term "initial stages" as mere figurative language.
But, it could be the most significant part of this distinctive job advert, as it aims to find a tutor for a infant.
Numerous of submissions have since been received since the anonymous family advertised their search for the highly paid tutor, who must be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the listing has gained interest throughout the news, with many asking why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their hunt, stated that in spite of early scepticism, he found the plan "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he said they appreciated the atypical nature of their request, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already become established".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert responded. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the firstborn had absorbed "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family explained to Adam they hoped to prevent this pattern to happen again with their new baby.
The plan: To engage a UK tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the learning at the start here is rather osmotic," explained the CEO.
It's through this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will pick up the British traits they aim to impart.
The consultant explained the tutor needed to be someone who studied at "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Money No Object
The family told Adam the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in horse riding, alpine skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a diverse set of interests.
More than that though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son become a "English gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and provide access.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he adds.
Yet, despite all this instruction in "English culture", would the child adopt what is termed cultural influence from the multicultural family he is raised by anyway?
"Yes", answered the CEO. "The family understand this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'we should try and we should start as soon as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he said.
Impractical
Several in the education sector who have similar doubts.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who supplies private tutors, wrote that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
Peter wrote that he had emigrated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the time of 7 years old, and had been raised experiencing and practicing two backgrounds. He went on to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that a single person can serve as a representation of UK identity, a person who can possibly transfer the characteristics of a British gentleman upon a infant child, strikes me as naive and unrealistic," he stated.
"Based on my background, having a quintessentially English tutor from early childhood will does not necessarily achieve the goal they hope for.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and however I have been lucky enough to experience many of the situations they hope for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, personal identity can not be dictated from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, English culture is something the CEO believes can be educated – and marketed.
"In my view the reality that the international society regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
