"A family based in North London wants to find an extraordinary and skilled instructor to support their youngest child on his first steps to turning into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might readily skip the term "first-steps" as just a turn of phrase.
Yet, it might be the crucial element of this distinctive position posting, as it aims to recruit a tutor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of submissions have now been submitted since the unidentified family published their search for the highly paid tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the listing has received interest across the media, with numerous wondering why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their quest, said that in spite of early doubt, he viewed the plan "visionary", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they understood the unconventional character of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
But, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had by then taken hold".
What exactly did the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", he replied. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the firstborn had picked up "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family informed Adam they did not want this pattern to happen again with their new baby.
The plan: To bring in a English tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the development at the beginning here is rather osmotic," stated Adam.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will acquire the English characteristics they aim to instil.
The consultant said the tutor needed to be someone who went to "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Money No Object
The family told Adam the chosen tutor should preferably also have understanding of or interest in horse riding, winter sports, creative fields and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
Furthermore though, he said the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a range of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son develop into a "English gentleman" will lead to achievement and open doors.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he adds.
But, despite all this instruction in "Britishness", could the child pick up alleged cultural influence from the international family he resides with in any case?
"Yes", said he. "The parents understand this could fail, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the tutoring industry who express those concerns.
An education leader, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who supplies personal educators, stated that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
Peter wrote that he had moved from China to the United Kingdom at the time of 7 years old, and had been educated experiencing and practicing dual heritages. He continued to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that a single person can serve as a representation of Britishness, a person who can somehow transplant the qualities of a British gentleman onto a one-year-old child, seems to me idealistic and impractical," he commented.
"In my experience, employing a distinctly English tutor from early childhood will not instantly produce the goal they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and however I have been privileged enough to enjoy several of the experiences they desire for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, cultural identity cannot be imposed from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, UK identity is something the expert hopes can be instructed – and sold.
"In my view the fact that the international society regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
