"A household based in the northern part of London seeks an remarkable and qualified tutor to assist their youngest child on his initial journey to turning into an British gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might readily overlook the wording "initial stages" as just a turn of phrase.
However, it may be the most important aspect of this unique employment listing, as it seeks to hire a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of submissions have already been received since the unidentified family posted 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 interest in the news, with many wondering why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their hunt, stated that despite initial scepticism, he found the concept "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he said they appreciated the unconventional nature of their request, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already set in".
What exactly does the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", Adam responded. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the firstborn had picked up "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family informed Adam they wished to avoid this pattern to recur with their new baby.
The intention: To engage a English tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the development at the start here is kind of acquired indirectly," said Adam.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will adopt the English characteristics they wish to instil.
The consultant noted the tutor had to be someone who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor must be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told Adam the selected educator should preferably also have understanding of or interest in riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and music so as to influence the child in a wide range of passions.
More than that though, he said the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a range of courses 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 view, guiding their son develop into a "British gentleman" will lead to success and open doors.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he notes.
Yet, despite all this guidance in "English culture", might the child pick up what is termed cultural leaning from the multicultural family he is raised by regardless?
"Absolutely", said Adam. "The family realize this could fail, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'we should try and we should start as early as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he said.
Impractical
There are some in the private teaching field who share these reservations.
Another CEO, chief executive of a tutoring service, who also offer individual instructors, wrote that "the process of embracing two identities, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
Peter noted that he had relocated from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the age of childhood, and had been educated knowing and living both cultures. He continued to learn at Cambridge University.
"The idea that an individual can serve as a living vessel of Britishness, a person who can possibly transplant the characteristics of a British gentleman to a 12-month-old child, appears idealistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"From my perspective, employing a quintessentially British tutor from infancy will not automatically achieve the result they hope for.
"I never had such a tutor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to live numerous of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He added: "The fact is, cultural identity cannot be forced from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, UK identity is something the CEO believes can be instructed – and marketed.
"I believe the reality that the global community views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
