"A household located in north London is looking for an exceptional and skilled instructor to support their most junior child on his first steps to turning into an English gentleman."
When reading this post, you might readily skip the term "initial stages" as mere a turn of phrase.
But, it might be the most important part of this distinctive employment listing, as it attempts to hire a mentor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of applications have already been submitted since the unnamed family advertised their call for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the listing has attracted attention in the news, with numerous asking why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their search, explained that in spite of early skepticism, he considered the idea "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he said they recognized the unconventional aspect of their request, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already become established".
What exactly did the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert answered. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the elder child had picked up "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family told him they did not want the same situation to recur with their infant.
The intention: To engage a English tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the development at the outset here is somewhat acquired indirectly," said Adam.
It's through this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will acquire the British traits they want to instil.
Adam explained the tutor needed to be somebody who studied at "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in horse riding, skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
More than that though, he said the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a range of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son become a "UK sophisticate" will result in achievement and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he comments.
But, notwithstanding all this instruction in "UK identity", could the child absorb alleged cultural influence from the globally influenced family he is raised by in any case?
"Absolutely", answered the CEO. "The parents understand this could fail, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Impractical
There are some in the education sector who have these reservations.
An education leader, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who also offer personal educators, commented that "the development of embracing two identities, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
The expert explained that he had emigrated from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the time of seven, and had been raised experiencing and practicing dual heritages. He continued to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that a single person can serve as a embodiment of Britishness, someone who can possibly transplant the qualities of a English gentleman to a one-year-old child, seems to me naive and unrealistic," he stated.
"Based on my background, engaging a typically British tutor from infancy will does not instantly create the result they want.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and however I have been fortunate enough to experience several of the situations they desire for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, self-identity should not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the expert thinks can be taught – and marketed.
"In my view the situation that the international society views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
