"A household based in North London is looking for an exceptional and qualified tutor to assist their youngest child on his first steps to becoming an English gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might readily miss the term "first-steps" as simple an expression.
However, it could be the most important aspect of this unique employment listing, as it seeks to hire a mentor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of applications have already been sent in since the unnamed family published their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the advert has gained notice throughout the news, with several asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their quest, explained that despite early skepticism, he found the plan "visionary", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they recognized the unconventional aspect of their requirement, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already become established".
What precisely did the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", he replied. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He stated the older sibling had picked up "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family informed him they did not want this pattern to happen again with their new baby.
The strategy: To engage a UK tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the education at the outset here is kind of absorbed naturally," stated Adam.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will acquire the British traits they want to instil.
He noted the tutor had to be someone who attended "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Money No Object
The family informed the expert the chosen tutor should preferably also have understanding of or interest in horse riding, winter sports, the arts and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a wide range of interests.
Furthermore though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a range of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son develop into a "English gentleman" will result in accomplishment and open doors.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he notes.
However, notwithstanding all this guidance in "Britishness", would the child pick up so-called cultural bias from the globally influenced family he lives with in any case?
"Absolutely", answered the CEO. "They realize this could fail, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he said.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the education sector who express similar reservations.
Peter Cui, head and founder of Blue Education, who supplies individual instructors, wrote that "the process of becoming bicultural, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
He explained that he had moved from Asia to the UK at the period of 7 years old, and had been raised knowing and practicing dual heritages. He went on to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that one individual can act as a embodiment of Britishness, someone who can in some way transfer the characteristics of a English gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, appears idealistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"In my experience, employing a typically UK tutor from infancy will not instantly produce the outcome they hope for.
"I never had such a tutor, and yet I have been privileged enough to experience many of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, self-identity should not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, English culture is something Adam believes can be educated – and sold.
"In my view the reality that the international society views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
