"A household located in north London wants to find an extraordinary and skilled educator to support their youngest child on his early path to turning into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might easily skip the phrase "initial stages" as simple an expression.
However, it may be the most significant part of this distinctive job advert, as it seeks to find a teacher for a one-year-old.
Numerous of submissions have since been received since the unidentified family advertised their call for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the post has received interest across the media, with many wondering why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their hunt, stated that in spite of first skepticism, he found the plan "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he said they recognized the atypical nature of their requirement, and how young their son is.
However, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural influence had by then set in".
But what did the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam replied. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He said the firstborn had picked up "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family informed the consultant they wished to avoid this pattern to repeat itself with their infant.
The plan: To bring in a English tutor, who should speak with RP, to shape the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the learning at the beginning here is kind of osmotic," stated the CEO.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will pick up the British traits they wish to instil.
The consultant noted the tutor must be someone who went to "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Money No Object
The family informed Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or interest in riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and music so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
More than that though, he stated the family desired the tutor to register the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son become a "English gentleman" will lead to achievement and provide access.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he adds.
But, notwithstanding all this instruction in "Britishness", would the child absorb so-called cultural leaning from the international family he lives with regardless?
"Yes", answered he. "They know this could fail, but they've just taken the view of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he stated.
Impractical
Several in the tutoring industry who share these doubts.
An education leader, chief executive of Blue Education, who also offer personal educators, wrote that "the process of becoming bicultural, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
The expert noted that he had emigrated from the Far East to the Britain at the time of 7 years old, and had been raised understanding and embodying dual heritages. He progressed to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that one individual can function as a living vessel of UK identity, an individual who can somehow impart the characteristics of a UK sophisticate upon a one-year-old child, seems to me idealistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"In my experience, engaging a quintessentially UK tutor from infancy will will not instantly create the result they hope for.
"I never had such a figure, and yet I have been fortunate enough to experience many of the situations they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, cultural identity should not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, English culture is something the CEO thinks can be taught – and sold.
"I think the situation that the global community regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
