"Parents residing in North London seeks an remarkable and experienced instructor to support their smallest child on his first steps to becoming an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might readily skip the wording "initial stages" as mere figurative language.
However, it may be the most significant element of this distinctive job advert, as it seeks to hire a tutor for a infant.
Many of submissions have since been submitted since the anonymous family advertised their search for the highly paid tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the post has attracted notice in the media, with many wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their hunt, explained that notwithstanding initial scepticism, he found the plan "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he noted they appreciated the unusual aspect of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
What exactly did the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert responded. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the firstborn had absorbed "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family informed the consultant they hoped to prevent this pattern to happen again with their new baby.
The intention: To bring in a UK tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to influence the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the education at the start here is kind of osmotic," explained the expert.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will pick up the British traits they aim to instil.
Adam said the tutor had to be somebody who studied at "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to the expert the successful candidate should preferably also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in riding, skiing, the arts and music so as to influence the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
More than that though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son become a "UK sophisticate" will bring about achievement and open doors.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he adds.
Yet, notwithstanding all this instruction in "Britishness", would the child absorb alleged cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he resides with anyway?
"Absolutely", said he. "The parents realize this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he explained.
Impractical
There are some in the education sector who have these doubts.
Another CEO, head and founder of an educational organization, who provides individual instructors, commented that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
Peter noted that he had moved from the Far East to the UK at the period of seven, and had been educated experiencing and living both cultures. He went on to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that one individual can serve as a representation of UK identity, someone who can possibly impart the qualities of a UK sophisticate to a 12-month-old child, appears idealistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"In my experience, having a distinctly UK tutor from babyhood will will not necessarily produce the outcome they want.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and however I have been lucky enough to enjoy numerous of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, cultural identity should not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, English culture is something Adam believes can be instructed – and sold.
"In my view the reality that the world views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
