"A household located in North London wants to find an exceptional and skilled educator to support their smallest child on his early path to turning into an English gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might easily overlook the phrase "initial stages" as mere an expression.
But, it might be the most significant element of this unique job advert, as it aims to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of responses have since been submitted since the unnamed family published their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the listing has gained attention across the press, with numerous wondering why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their hunt, said that notwithstanding first doubt, he viewed the idea "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they understood the atypical nature of their request, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had already become established".
What exactly did the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert replied. "How you eat, how you speak".
He stated the elder child had absorbed "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family explained to him they hoped to prevent this pattern to happen again with their infant.
The intention: To engage a British tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the development at the start here is kind of osmotic," stated the CEO.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will adopt the English characteristics they wish to cultivate.
He noted the tutor needed to be someone who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in riding, skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Additionally though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will result in success and create opportunities.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he adds.
However, despite all this guidance in "UK identity", could the child pick up what is termed cultural bias from the international family he resides with anyway?
"Yes", said he. "They understand this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the education sector who have these doubts.
Another CEO, head and founder of Blue Education, who also offer personal educators, stated that "the journey of embracing two identities, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
Peter wrote that he had emigrated from Asia to the UK at the period of 7 years old, and had been brought up understanding and practicing two backgrounds. He went on to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that a single person can serve as a embodiment of English culture, someone who can somehow transfer the attributes of a UK sophisticate to a 12-month-old child, appears idealistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"From my perspective, having a distinctly English tutor from infancy will will not instantly achieve the goal they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and yet I have been privileged enough to live many of the experiences they desire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, cultural identity cannot be dictated from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, English culture is something the CEO hopes can be taught – and sold.
"I think the situation that the world regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
