"Parents located in the northern part of London is looking for an extraordinary and experienced tutor to support their youngest child on his early path to growing into an English gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might easily overlook the phrase "initial stages" as mere an expression.
Yet, it might be the most significant part of this unique position posting, as it seeks to recruit a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of responses have now been sent in since the unnamed family published their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has received notice throughout the media, with many questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their quest, explained that despite first skepticism, he considered the idea "visionary", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unusual character of their demand, and how young their son is.
But, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already taken hold".
What precisely does the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", he responded. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the older sibling had adopted "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family explained to Adam they hoped to prevent this pattern to repeat itself with their infant.
The intention: To engage a English tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the development at the start here is somewhat acquired indirectly," explained Adam.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will adopt the British traits they want to instil.
He explained the tutor had to be someone who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to him the successful candidate should ideally also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he said the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a range of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son become a "UK sophisticate" will result in accomplishment and open doors.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he notes.
However, in spite of all this instruction in "UK identity", could the child absorb so-called cultural influence from the international family he resides with regardless?
"Certainly", answered Adam. "The parents realize this could fail, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who share these reservations.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who supplies private tutors, commented that "the process of becoming bicultural, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
He wrote that he had emigrated from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the time of 7 years old, and had been brought up knowing and embodying two backgrounds. He continued to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that a single person can serve as a living vessel of Britishness, someone who can possibly transplant the qualities of a UK sophisticate onto a one-year-old child, strikes me as optimistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"In my experience, employing a quintessentially English tutor from early childhood will not automatically produce the result they want.
"I did not have such a figure, and yet I have been privileged enough to live several of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, personal identity cannot be imposed from the outside; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, English culture is something the expert believes can be taught – and commercialized.
"In my view the reality that the world regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
