"A household residing in North London wants to find an remarkable and experienced tutor to support their most junior child on his first steps to becoming an British gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might naturally skip the wording "initial stages" as mere a turn of phrase.
But, it could be the most significant aspect of this unique position posting, as it aims to recruit a mentor for a one-year-old.
Numerous of submissions have already been received since the anonymous family published their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the listing has attracted notice across the media, with numerous questioning why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their search, explained that in spite of early doubt, he considered the plan "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he mentioned they recognized the unconventional aspect of their demand, and how young their son is.
But, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had by then set in".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", the expert responded. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the elder child had absorbed "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family informed the consultant they wished to avoid history to happen again with their infant.
The plan: To hire a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the education at the outset here is kind of absorbed naturally," stated the CEO.
It's via this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will pick up the British traits they wish to cultivate.
Adam said the tutor must be an individual who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Money No Object
The family informed the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in riding, skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Additionally though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's minds, assisting their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will bring about accomplishment and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he adds.
However, in spite of all this instruction in "Britishness", might the child adopt what is termed cultural influence from the globally influenced family he resides with in any case?
"Certainly", replied he. "They understand this may not work, but they've just taken the view of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the private teaching field who share similar reservations.
An education leader, chief executive of an educational organization, who also offer private tutors, stated that "the journey of embracing two identities, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
The expert wrote that he had moved from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the period of childhood, and had been educated knowing and embodying both cultures. He went on to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that an individual can function as a representation of Britishness, someone who can somehow impart the attributes of a UK sophisticate onto a 12-month-old child, strikes me as optimistic and impractical," he stated.
"In my experience, having a quintessentially British tutor from infancy will not necessarily produce the result they hope for.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to live numerous of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, self-identity can not be dictated from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, Britishness is something the CEO believes can be educated – and sold.
"I think the fact that the international society holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
