"A family residing in North London is looking for an extraordinary and experienced educator to support their most junior child on his initial journey to turning into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might naturally skip the phrase "initial stages" as just a turn of phrase.
But, it may be the most important element of this unusual job advert, as it attempts to hire a mentor for a infant.
Numerous of applications have already been sent in since the unnamed family published their search for the highly paid tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the advert has gained notice in the press, with several asking why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their search, stated that in spite of first skepticism, he found the concept "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he said they recognized the atypical nature of their request, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, 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 point "cultural bias had by then set in".
What exactly does the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam answered. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He stated the elder child had adopted "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family informed him they wished to avoid this pattern to happen again with their infant.
The intention: To engage a English tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the education at the beginning here is kind of osmotic," said Adam.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will pick up the UK customs they wish to impart.
Adam explained the tutor needed to be an individual who went to "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told him the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in horse riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
More than that though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son grow into a "British gentleman" will lead to achievement and open doors.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he comments.
Yet, notwithstanding all this instruction in "UK identity", could the child absorb alleged cultural influence from the multicultural family he lives with anyway?
"Absolutely", replied he. "They know this may not work, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the private teaching field who share similar doubts.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who supplies personal educators, stated that "the process of embracing two identities, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
Peter explained that he had relocated from Asia to the Britain at the period of seven, and had been raised experiencing and practicing dual heritages. He progressed to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that a single person can serve as a representation of Britishness, a person who can in some way impart the qualities of a British gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, strikes me as naive and unrealistic," he stated.
"In my experience, having a quintessentially English tutor from infancy will does not necessarily achieve the goal they desire.
"I never had such a figure, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to enjoy several of the situations they desire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, cultural identity cannot be dictated from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, UK identity is something the CEO believes can be educated – and commercialized.
"I believe the reality that the global community regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
