"A family residing in North London seeks an extraordinary and qualified instructor to support their youngest child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might readily miss the wording "initial stages" as just figurative language.
Yet, it could be the crucial part of this unusual employment listing, as it aims to recruit a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of responses have already been received since the unnamed family advertised their request for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted interest throughout the media, with many asking why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their quest, said that notwithstanding initial scepticism, he viewed the idea "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he noted they appreciated the unconventional aspect of their demand, and how immature their son is.
But, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had by then become established".
What precisely does the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam answered. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the older sibling had absorbed "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family told him they hoped to prevent the same situation to happen again with their younger child.
The strategy: To engage a UK tutor, who must speak with RP, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the development at the start here is rather acquired indirectly," said the CEO.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will adopt the UK customs they wish to impart.
He noted 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 carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed the expert the selected educator should preferably also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in horse riding, alpine skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a wide range of hobbies.
More than that though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son grow into a "British gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and create opportunities.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he adds.
But, despite all this guidance in "UK identity", could the child pick up what is termed cultural influence from the multicultural family he resides with anyway?
"Absolutely", said the CEO. "The family realize this may not work, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who have those reservations.
An education leader, chief executive of Blue Education, who supplies personal educators, stated that "the process of embracing two identities, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
The expert noted that he had moved from the Far East to the UK at the time of seven, and had been brought up understanding and embodying both cultures. He continued to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that an individual can serve as a representation of English culture, an individual who can in some way impart the characteristics of a English gentleman to a 12-month-old child, strikes me as naive and impractical," he stated.
"From my perspective, engaging a distinctly UK tutor from babyhood will will not necessarily create the goal they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and however I have been lucky enough to enjoy many of the experiences they desire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, personal identity can not be forced from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, UK identity is something the expert believes can be educated – and sold.
"I believe the fact that the global community regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
