"A family located in north London is looking for an exceptional and qualified instructor to guide their smallest child on his initial journey to turning into an British gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might naturally miss the wording "initial stages" as just figurative language.
However, it may be the most important part of this unique employment listing, as it aims to find a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of submissions have now been sent in since the unidentified family posted their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the listing has attracted interest throughout the news, with numerous asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their quest, stated that in spite of initial scepticism, he considered the plan "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they understood the atypical aspect of their demand, and how young their son is.
However, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural influence had by then become established".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", he answered. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the older sibling had absorbed "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family informed the consultant they wished to avoid the same situation to happen again with their younger child.
The intention: To engage a English tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the learning at the start here is rather absorbed naturally," said the expert.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will adopt the UK customs they want to cultivate.
The consultant noted the tutor must be somebody who attended "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to him the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or interest in horse riding, winter sports, creative fields and music so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Additionally though, he explained the family desired the tutor to register 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 perspective, guiding their son become a "British gentleman" will lead to achievement and create opportunities.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he comments.
But, despite all this instruction in "English culture", could the child absorb so-called cultural bias from the globally influenced family he lives with in any case?
"Yes", replied Adam. "They realize this may not work, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the private teaching field who have these concerns.
Peter Cui, chief executive of Blue Education, who also offer private tutors, stated that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
Peter noted that he had moved from China to the United Kingdom at the time of 7 years old, and had been raised experiencing and living both cultures. He continued to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The concept that a single person can act as a living vessel of UK identity, a person who can in some way transfer the characteristics of a British gentleman onto a infant child, appears idealistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"In my experience, having a quintessentially UK tutor from infancy will will not necessarily produce the outcome they hope for.
"I never had such a figure, and yet I have been fortunate enough to live several of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, self-identity cannot be forced from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the expert hopes can be educated – and sold.
"I believe the situation that the international society regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
