"Parents located in North London seeks an remarkable and qualified instructor to guide their most junior child on his initial journey to becoming an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might easily overlook the phrase "initial stages" as simple a turn of phrase.
Yet, it could be the most significant part of this distinctive employment listing, as it aims to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of applications have already been received since the unidentified family advertised their search for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the listing has gained interest across the press, with numerous asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their search, explained that in spite of initial skepticism, he viewed the idea "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unconventional aspect of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
But, they explained 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 point "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
What exactly does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", the expert responded. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He said the older sibling had picked up "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family explained to the consultant they wished to avoid history to happen again with their new baby.
The strategy: To engage a English tutor, who must speak with RP, to guide the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the learning at the start here is rather absorbed naturally," said the CEO.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will acquire the UK customs they wish to cultivate.
The consultant said the tutor must be somebody who went to "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told him the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in horse riding, alpine skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he said the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son grow into a "British gentleman" will bring about achievement and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he notes.
But, in spite of all this tutelage in "English culture", would the child adopt what is termed cultural influence from the international family he lives with regardless?
"Absolutely", replied he. "They understand this could fail, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the tutoring industry who share those concerns.
Peter Cui, chief executive of an educational organization, who supplies individual instructors, commented that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
The expert wrote that he had moved from Asia to the UK at the time of 7 years old, and had been educated knowing and embodying both cultures. He continued to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The idea that one individual can act as a living vessel of English culture, an individual who can in some way transplant the qualities of a UK sophisticate to a infant child, seems to me idealistic and impractical," he stated.
"From my perspective, having a typically British tutor from babyhood will will not automatically create the result they want.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and however I have been fortunate enough to enjoy several of the situations they desire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, self-identity should not be imposed from the outside; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, UK identity is something Adam hopes can be educated – and marketed.
"I think the reality that the international society views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
