"A household located in the northern part of London is looking for an exceptional and experienced instructor to guide their most junior child on his early path to turning into an English gentleman."
When reading this post, you might readily skip the term "initial stages" as mere figurative language.
Yet, it might be the most important aspect of this unusual position posting, as it seeks to hire a teacher for a infant.
Many of submissions have now been submitted since the anonymous family published their call for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the advert has received attention throughout the media, with numerous wondering why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their hunt, explained that despite first skepticism, he found the idea "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he said they recognized the atypical nature of their demand, and how young their son is.
However, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural influence had by then become established".
What exactly does the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert replied. "How you eat, how you speak".
He stated the elder child had adopted "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family explained to the consultant they hoped to prevent history to happen again with their younger child.
The intention: To bring in a UK tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the learning at the beginning here is kind of osmotic," stated the expert.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will adopt the British traits they wish to impart.
The consultant noted the tutor had to be an individual who studied at "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed Adam the selected educator should preferably also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, the arts and music so as to inspire the child in a wide range of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he explained the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a range of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son grow into a "British gentleman" will bring about success and provide access.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he adds.
But, despite all this tutelage in "Britishness", could the child absorb what is termed cultural influence from the international family he lives with regardless?
"Yes", replied Adam. "The parents realize this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'we should try and let's go as soon as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the education sector who have similar doubts.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who supplies individual instructors, wrote that "the process of embracing two identities, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
Peter wrote that he had emigrated from Asia to the UK at the time of childhood, and had been brought up understanding and living two backgrounds. He continued to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The concept that a single person can act as a representation of UK identity, a person who can possibly impart the characteristics of a UK sophisticate onto a 12-month-old child, strikes me as optimistic and impractical," he stated.
"From my perspective, having a distinctly UK tutor from babyhood will does not necessarily create the outcome they want.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to experience many of the situations they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, personal identity cannot be forced from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, Britishness is something the CEO believes can be educated – and marketed.
"In my view the situation that the global community views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
