"Parents residing in North London seeks an exceptional and skilled tutor to guide their smallest child on his first steps to becoming an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might readily overlook the wording "first-steps" as just an expression.
Yet, it could be the crucial element of this unique employment listing, as it attempts to hire a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of applications have already been submitted since the unidentified family posted their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has received notice in the press, with many asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their quest, explained that in spite of initial skepticism, he found the concept "visionary", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they appreciated the unconventional aspect of their request, and how early in age their son is.
However, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already become established".
What precisely does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert answered. "How you eat, how you speak".
He explained the elder child had picked up "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family informed him they wished to avoid this pattern to happen again with their younger child.
The strategy: To hire a British tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the learning at the beginning here is kind of acquired indirectly," explained the CEO.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will pick up the English characteristics they wish to instil.
The consultant explained the tutor must be an individual who attended "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to Adam the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in equestrian activities, skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
More than that though, he said the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son develop into a "English gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and create opportunities.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he adds.
However, in spite of all this guidance in "UK identity", might the child absorb what is termed cultural bias from the international family he resides with in any case?
"Absolutely", answered he. "The parents understand this could fail, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as early as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he explained.
Impractical
Several in the education sector who express those reservations.
Another CEO, chief executive of an educational organization, who provides personal educators, wrote that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
The expert wrote that he had moved from China to the UK at the time of seven, and had been brought up understanding and practicing both cultures. He went on to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that an individual can act as a representation of Britishness, a person who can possibly transplant the characteristics of a British gentleman to a one-year-old child, appears idealistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"Based on my background, having a distinctly English tutor from early childhood will will not instantly achieve the goal they desire.
"I did not have such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to experience numerous of the experiences they hope for their son."
He added: "The truth is, cultural identity cannot be forced from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, UK identity is something the expert thinks can be educated – and marketed.
"I believe the fact that the international society regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
