"A household residing in north London is looking for an exceptional and skilled tutor to guide their smallest child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might readily miss the wording "initial stages" as just figurative language.
But, it may be the most important aspect of this unique employment listing, as it attempts to hire a tutor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of submissions have already been received since the unidentified family posted their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the post has received interest in the media, with numerous questioning why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their quest, said that in spite of first doubt, he found the idea "visionary", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they recognized the atypical character of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural influence had by then become established".
What exactly does the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert answered. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the older sibling had picked up "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family told him they hoped to prevent this pattern to happen again with their new baby.
The plan: To bring in a UK tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the development at the start here is rather acquired indirectly," said the expert.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will adopt the British traits they aim to cultivate.
He explained the tutor needed to be somebody who attended "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed Adam the selected educator should preferably also have understanding of or passion in riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to influence the child in a wide range of passions.
More than that though, he said the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a range of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son become a "British gentleman" will result in accomplishment and provide access.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he comments.
Yet, despite all this tutelage in "UK identity", could the child absorb what is termed cultural influence from the international family he lives with anyway?
"Yes", replied he. "The family realize this could fail, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as soon as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the private teaching field who have those concerns.
Peter Cui, chief executive of Blue Education, who supplies personal educators, wrote that "the journey of embracing two identities, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
He noted that he had relocated from the Far East to the UK at the age of seven, and had been educated understanding and practicing two backgrounds. He went on to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that an individual can serve as a living vessel of English culture, an individual who can somehow impart the attributes of a English gentleman upon a one-year-old child, seems to me naive and impractical," he stated.
"In my experience, having a distinctly English tutor from babyhood will does not instantly create the result they want.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to experience numerous of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He added: "The reality is, cultural identity cannot be dictated from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, UK identity is something the CEO hopes can be taught – and marketed.
"I believe the fact that the international society regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
