"A family located in north London is looking for an exceptional and qualified educator to guide their smallest child on his first steps to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might readily overlook the term "initial stages" as mere a turn of phrase.
Yet, it may be the most significant element of this unusual employment listing, as it aims to find a teacher for a infant.
Many of applications have now been submitted since the unidentified family posted their request for the highly paid tutor, who must be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the advert has received notice throughout the news, with many questioning why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their search, explained that despite early scepticism, he viewed the idea "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they understood the unusual aspect of their requirement, 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 elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural bias had by then set in".
What exactly does the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", Adam replied. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He said the elder child had picked up "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family informed him they did not want history to repeat itself with their younger child.
The strategy: To engage a UK tutor, who should speak with RP, to guide the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the development at the start here is somewhat absorbed naturally," stated the expert.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will acquire the English characteristics they aim to cultivate.
The consultant explained the tutor had to be somebody who went to "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told him the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and music so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Furthermore though, he stated the family desired the tutor to register the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will result in accomplishment and open doors.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he adds.
Yet, notwithstanding all this guidance in "Britishness", could the child absorb so-called cultural influence from the multicultural family he lives with anyway?
"Absolutely", replied Adam. "The family know this may not work, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the tutoring industry who express those reservations.
An education leader, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who supplies personal educators, commented that "the journey of embracing two identities, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
The expert explained that he had moved from the Far East to the UK at the time of seven, and had been educated understanding and embodying dual heritages. He progressed to learn at Cambridge University.
"The idea that a single person can function as a embodiment of UK identity, a person who can in some way impart the attributes of a UK sophisticate onto a infant child, strikes me as optimistic and impractical," he stated.
"In my experience, employing a distinctly UK tutor from early childhood will not necessarily create the outcome they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to live several of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, cultural identity cannot be forced from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, UK identity is something the expert believes can be educated – and sold.
"I believe the reality that the global community regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
