"A household residing in North London seeks an extraordinary and experienced educator to support their youngest child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might readily overlook the phrase "initial stages" as mere a turn of phrase.
But, it may be the most significant part of this distinctive position posting, as it seeks to find a mentor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of responses have already been received since the unnamed family published their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted notice throughout the news, with several asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their hunt, explained that notwithstanding initial scepticism, he viewed the plan "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he mentioned they understood the atypical aspect of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
But, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
What precisely does the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert replied. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the older sibling had absorbed "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family explained to the consultant they wished to avoid history to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To hire a English tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to guide the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the development at the outset here is kind of osmotic," said Adam.
It's through this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will pick up the UK customs they want to impart.
The consultant noted the tutor had to be someone who attended "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to him the selected educator should preferably also have familiarity of or interest in riding, winter sports, the arts and musical activities so as to influence the child in a wide range of interests.
More than that though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son develop into a "British gentleman" will result in success and provide access.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he notes.
But, notwithstanding all this instruction in "Britishness", might the child absorb alleged cultural bias from the globally influenced family he is raised by anyway?
"Certainly", replied he. "The family understand this may not work, but they've just taken the view of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as early as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the private teaching field who share those reservations.
An education leader, head and founder of a tutoring service, who supplies private tutors, stated that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
Peter explained that he had moved from Asia to the Britain at the period of 7 years old, and had been educated knowing and living both cultures. He went on to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The notion that a single person can act as a living vessel of English culture, an individual who can somehow transfer the attributes of a UK sophisticate onto a one-year-old child, seems to me idealistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"Based on my background, engaging a typically English tutor from early childhood will does not necessarily achieve the result they hope for.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and however I have been lucky enough to experience many of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He added: "The fact is, self-identity cannot be dictated from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, English culture is something Adam hopes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I think the reality that the international society views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
