"A family located in the northern part of London seeks an exceptional and experienced educator to support their smallest child on his first steps to growing into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might readily skip the term "initial stages" as mere an expression.
But, it might be the most significant aspect of this unusual employment listing, as it attempts to recruit a tutor for a one-year-old.
Numerous of submissions have since been sent in since the unidentified family published their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the listing has gained interest across the media, with numerous wondering why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, chief executive of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their search, explained that despite initial skepticism, he viewed the plan "visionary", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he said they understood the unusual character of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had by then taken hold".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", he replied. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He stated the firstborn had picked up "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family explained to the consultant they wished to avoid this pattern to recur with their new baby.
The plan: To hire a English tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to guide the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the development at the outset here is kind of osmotic," explained Adam.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will acquire the English characteristics they aim to impart.
The consultant said the tutor needed to be somebody who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed him the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a wide range of interests.
Additionally though, he said the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son develop into a "English gentleman" will lead to success and open doors.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he comments.
However, in spite of all this instruction in "Britishness", might the child adopt what is termed cultural influence from the multicultural family he is raised by anyway?
"Yes", said the CEO. "The parents understand this might not succeed, but they've just taken the view of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the private teaching field who have similar concerns.
Peter Cui, head and founder of an educational organization, who also offer individual instructors, commented that "the process of becoming bicultural, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
He explained that he had moved from China to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been brought up knowing and living dual heritages. He continued to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that one individual can serve as a embodiment of UK identity, an individual who can possibly transfer the attributes of a English gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, seems to me idealistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"From my perspective, engaging a distinctly British tutor from babyhood will not automatically achieve the result they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to enjoy several of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, self-identity can not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, English culture is something Adam hopes can be taught – and commercialized.
"In my view the fact that the world regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
