"Parents based in North London wants to find an extraordinary and skilled instructor to assist their smallest child on his first steps to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might naturally miss the term "initial stages" as just figurative language.
Yet, it could be the crucial aspect of this unique job advert, as it attempts to recruit a mentor for a infant.
Many of applications have already been sent in since the unidentified family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who must be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the listing has attracted attention in the media, with many questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, head and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their hunt, explained that in spite of early skepticism, he viewed the idea "visionary", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he said they recognized the atypical nature of their demand, and how immature their son is.
However, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already set in".
What precisely does the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam answered. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the elder child had picked up "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family explained to Adam they hoped to prevent the same situation to recur with their younger child.
The intention: To hire a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the education at the outset here is kind of osmotic," stated the expert.
It's through this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will pick up the British traits they aim to instil.
He said the tutor had to be someone who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed him the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in horse riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a wide range of passions.
More than that though, he said the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will lead to success and open doors.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he notes.
Yet, notwithstanding all this instruction in "UK identity", might the child absorb alleged cultural influence from the globally influenced family he is raised by in any case?
"Yes", said the CEO. "The family know this could fail, but they've just taken the view of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the private teaching field who share similar doubts.
Another CEO, head and founder of Blue Education, who supplies individual instructors, wrote that "the development of becoming bicultural, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
Peter wrote that he had moved from Asia to the United Kingdom at the age of childhood, and had been educated experiencing and embodying both cultures. He went on to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that an individual can function as a representation of UK identity, an individual who can possibly impart the attributes of a British gentleman onto a one-year-old child, strikes me as optimistic and impractical," he commented.
"In my experience, employing a distinctly UK tutor from infancy will does not necessarily achieve the goal they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to experience numerous of the experiences they desire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, personal identity should not be forced from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, UK identity is something Adam hopes can be taught – and marketed.
"I think the fact that the world views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
