"Parents residing in the northern part of London is looking for an exceptional and experienced educator to support their smallest child on his early path to becoming an English gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might easily skip the phrase "initial stages" as just an expression.
However, it may be the most significant element of this unusual position posting, as it seeks to hire a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of applications have now been sent in since the unnamed family published their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has received interest across the press, with many asking why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their hunt, stated that despite early skepticism, he viewed the idea "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he noted they recognized the unusual aspect of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had by then taken hold".
What precisely did the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam responded. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the elder child 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 repeat itself with their new baby.
The intention: To bring in a UK tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the development at the beginning here is kind of acquired indirectly," stated the expert.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will pick up the UK customs they want to impart.
The consultant noted the tutor needed to be somebody who attended "prestigious academies – 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, just naturally," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Additionally though, he stated the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son grow into a "English gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he adds.
Yet, despite all this guidance in "Britishness", could the child absorb alleged cultural bias from the international family he is raised by anyway?
"Absolutely", replied the CEO. "The parents realize this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the tutoring industry who express those concerns.
Another CEO, head and founder of an educational organization, who provides personal educators, wrote 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 relocated from the Far East to the Britain at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised experiencing and practicing both cultures. He continued to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that an individual can function as a representation of English culture, a person who can somehow transplant the qualities of a British gentleman to a one-year-old child, appears idealistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"From my perspective, engaging a distinctly English tutor from babyhood will does not automatically create the goal they desire.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to experience several of the situations they aspire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, cultural identity can not be imposed from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, UK identity is something the CEO hopes can be taught – and sold.
"I think the reality that the world views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
