"A family residing in north London wants to find an extraordinary and skilled instructor to guide their most junior child on his early path to growing into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might naturally overlook the wording "initial stages" as simple a turn of phrase.
However, it could be the crucial element of this unique job advert, as it attempts to hire a mentor for a one-year-old.
Many of responses have already been submitted since the unnamed family advertised their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has attracted notice across the news, with several wondering why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, head and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their search, stated that in spite of early scepticism, he considered the plan "visionary", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he mentioned they understood the unconventional aspect of their request, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had by then set in".
But what did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", he responded. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He stated the firstborn had absorbed "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family informed him they wished to avoid this pattern to happen again with their infant.
The strategy: To bring in a UK tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the learning at the outset here is somewhat acquired indirectly," stated Adam.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will pick up the UK customs they want to impart.
He noted the tutor needed to be an individual who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed him the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, creative fields and music so as to shape the child in a wide range of hobbies.
Additionally though, he said the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son become a "UK sophisticate" will bring about accomplishment and provide access.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he adds.
But, in spite of all this instruction in "English culture", might the child pick up alleged cultural influence from the international family he is raised by regardless?
"Absolutely", replied the CEO. "They know this may not work, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he explained.
Impractical
There are some in the private teaching field who share similar concerns.
Peter Cui, head and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer personal educators, commented that "the journey of embracing two identities, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
He noted that he had relocated from China to the United Kingdom at the time of childhood, and had been educated experiencing and embodying both cultures. He went on to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that a single person can function as a representation of UK identity, a person who can possibly transplant the characteristics of a English gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, appears optimistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"Based on my background, having a typically UK tutor from early childhood will will not automatically achieve the outcome they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and however I have been fortunate enough to live several of the experiences they desire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, cultural identity cannot be dictated from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, UK identity is something the CEO hopes can be taught – and marketed.
"I believe the situation that the global community regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
