"Parents located in the northern part of London seeks an exceptional and experienced educator to guide their youngest child on his initial journey to turning into an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might readily overlook the term "initial stages" as just figurative language.
Yet, it could be the most important element of this unique job advert, as it seeks to recruit a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of responses have now been submitted since the anonymous family published their search for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the advert has gained interest in the press, with several questioning why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their search, stated that despite early skepticism, he viewed the idea "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he said they understood the unusual nature of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already taken hold".
But what did the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", he answered. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He said the firstborn had absorbed "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family informed the consultant they hoped to prevent this pattern to recur with their infant.
The intention: To hire a British tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the education at the beginning here is kind of acquired indirectly," explained the CEO.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will pick up the UK customs they wish to cultivate.
The consultant said the tutor had to be an individual who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to him the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to shape the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he stated the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son become a "English gentleman" will result in achievement and open doors.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he comments.
But, despite all this tutelage in "Britishness", might the child pick up so-called cultural bias from the multicultural family he resides with in any case?
"Certainly", said the CEO. "The family know this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as early as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he said.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who express similar concerns.
Another CEO, chief executive of an educational organization, who also offer individual instructors, wrote that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
The expert noted that he had relocated from Asia to the UK at the period of 7 years old, and had been raised understanding and embodying two backgrounds. He went on to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that an individual can act as a embodiment of English culture, an individual who can in some way transplant the characteristics of a British gentleman upon a one-year-old child, strikes me as optimistic and unrealistic," he stated.
"Based on my background, having a quintessentially UK tutor from infancy will does not necessarily create the result they want.
"I never had such a tutor, and yet I have been lucky enough to live numerous of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The reality is, self-identity should not be imposed from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, English culture is something the expert hopes can be instructed – and sold.
"I think the situation that the global community holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
