"Parents residing in North London wants to find an exceptional and qualified tutor to guide their youngest child on his early path to turning into an British gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might easily overlook the phrase "initial stages" as just an expression.
But, it may be the most important aspect of this unique employment listing, as it seeks to hire a mentor for a infant.
Numerous of applications have since been received since the anonymous family published their search for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the listing has attracted notice in the press, with numerous asking why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their search, said that despite first scepticism, he considered the idea "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he noted they recognized the unconventional character of their demand, and how young their son is.
However, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already taken hold".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", Adam answered. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the older sibling had absorbed "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family informed the consultant they did not want the same situation to repeat itself with their new baby.
The plan: To hire a English tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the education at the start here is rather acquired indirectly," stated the CEO.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will acquire the English characteristics they aim to cultivate.
The consultant explained the tutor needed to be someone who went to "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed the expert the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in riding, alpine skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
More than that though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son develop into a "British gentleman" will result in success and open doors.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he comments.
However, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "UK identity", might the child absorb what is termed cultural bias from the international family he lives with regardless?
"Absolutely", said Adam. "They understand this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he explained.
Impractical
Several in the education sector who express similar concerns.
Peter Cui, head and founder of an educational organization, who also offer personal educators, commented that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
The expert wrote that he had moved from the Far East to the Britain at the period of childhood, and had been brought up knowing and embodying two backgrounds. He went on to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The notion that a single person can function as a embodiment of Britishness, someone who can somehow impart the characteristics of a English gentleman to a 12-month-old child, strikes me as optimistic and impractical," he wrote.
"From my perspective, employing a quintessentially UK tutor from babyhood will will not automatically produce the result they hope for.
"I never had such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to experience numerous of the situations they hope for their son."
He added: "The truth is, personal identity can not be imposed from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, English culture is something the CEO hopes can be taught – and sold.
"I think the situation that the world regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
