"A household based in North London is looking for an exceptional and skilled instructor to assist their smallest child on his first steps to becoming an English gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might easily miss the phrase "initial stages" as simple an expression.
But, it might be the crucial part of this unusual job advert, as it aims to hire a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of applications have now been submitted since the anonymous family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the advert has received notice throughout the media, with many wondering why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their hunt, stated that despite initial scepticism, he viewed the plan "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they appreciated the atypical character of their request, 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 elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
What precisely did the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", the expert responded. "How you eat, how you speak".
He stated the older sibling had absorbed "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family explained to the consultant they hoped to prevent this pattern to recur with their younger child.
The strategy: To bring in a British tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the learning at the start here is somewhat acquired indirectly," said Adam.
It's through this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will acquire the English characteristics they wish to cultivate.
The consultant noted the tutor must be an individual who went to "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told him the chosen tutor should preferably also have understanding of or passion in riding, alpine skiing, the arts and music so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Additionally though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, assisting their son become a "UK sophisticate" will result in success and provide access.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he notes.
But, despite all this tutelage in "Britishness", could the child pick up so-called cultural leaning from the international family he is raised by regardless?
"Yes", answered Adam. "The family know this might not succeed, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he said.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the private teaching field who have these doubts.
Another CEO, chief executive of an educational organization, who also offer private tutors, stated that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
The expert explained that he had moved from Asia to the Britain at the age of childhood, and had been educated experiencing and embodying both cultures. He went on to study at Cambridge University.
"The notion that a single person can act as a embodiment of Britishness, an individual who can somehow transfer the attributes of a British gentleman to a infant child, appears optimistic and unrealistic," he stated.
"In my experience, having a typically British tutor from infancy will will not necessarily create the goal they desire.
"I never had such a tutor, and however I have been privileged enough to experience numerous of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, self-identity can not be forced from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, Britishness is something the CEO believes can be educated – and marketed.
"I think the fact that the global community regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
