"A household residing in the northern part of London wants to find an remarkable and experienced tutor to support their most junior child on his first steps to becoming an English gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might readily skip the term "initial stages" as simple a turn of phrase.
However, it may be the most significant aspect of this unique job advert, as it attempts to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of applications have since been sent in since the unidentified family published their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has gained attention across the news, with many questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their quest, stated that in spite of early skepticism, he considered the concept "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they understood the unusual nature of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
But, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural bias had by then taken hold".
But what did the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", he answered. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the elder child had picked up "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family explained to Adam they did not want this pattern to repeat itself with their new baby.
The strategy: To bring in a British tutor, who must speak with RP, to guide the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the education at the beginning here is somewhat acquired indirectly," explained Adam.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will acquire the UK customs they wish to cultivate.
The consultant said the tutor must be an individual who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to the expert the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in riding, winter sports, creative fields and music so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
More than that though, he stated the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a range of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will lead to achievement and provide access.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he comments.
However, in spite of all this instruction in "English culture", might the child adopt alleged cultural leaning from the multicultural family he is raised by in any case?
"Absolutely", said Adam. "The family know this could fail, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the education sector who have similar doubts.
Peter Cui, chief executive of a tutoring service, who provides personal educators, stated that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
Peter wrote that he had emigrated from China to the United Kingdom at the age of childhood, and had been brought up understanding and practicing both cultures. He progressed to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The notion that one individual can function as a embodiment of UK identity, an individual who can in some way transfer the qualities of a English gentleman to a infant child, seems to me optimistic and unrealistic," he stated.
"From my perspective, employing a quintessentially UK tutor from early childhood will does not necessarily achieve the result they want.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and however I have been fortunate enough to experience many of the situations they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, personal identity can not be dictated from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, English culture is something Adam believes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"In my view the reality that the global community holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
