"A household located in the northern part of London seeks an extraordinary and qualified educator to support their most junior child on his initial journey to turning into an British gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might readily miss the wording "initial stages" as just an expression.
However, it could be the most significant element of this unusual position posting, as it attempts to find a tutor for a infant.
Numerous of submissions have since been sent in since the unnamed family advertised their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the post has received notice across the news, with many asking why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their hunt, explained that in spite of first skepticism, he found the plan "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they recognized the unconventional character of their demand, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had by then taken hold".
What precisely does the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", he responded. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the firstborn had adopted "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family explained to the consultant they did not want history to happen again with their infant.
The plan: To engage a British tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the development at the start here is somewhat acquired indirectly," explained the expert.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will pick up the English characteristics they aim to instil.
Adam noted the tutor needed to be an individual who attended "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor must be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to the expert the successful candidate should preferably also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in horse riding, winter sports, the arts and musical activities so as to influence the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he explained the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son grow into a "English gentleman" will result in achievement and provide access.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he adds.
But, notwithstanding all this guidance in "English culture", would the child adopt so-called cultural influence from the international family he resides with in any case?
"Yes", answered he. "The parents know this might not succeed, but they've just taken the view of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Impractical
There are some in the private teaching field who have those concerns.
Another CEO, chief executive of Blue Education, who also offer individual instructors, commented that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
Peter explained that he had moved from the Far East to the Britain at the age of childhood, and had been educated experiencing and living both cultures. He progressed to learn at Cambridge University.
"The concept that one individual can serve as a representation of English culture, a person who can somehow transfer the attributes of a UK sophisticate upon a 12-month-old child, seems to me optimistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"Based on my background, engaging a typically UK tutor from infancy will will not necessarily achieve the result they want.
"I did not have such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to experience numerous of the situations they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, cultural identity should not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, English culture is something the CEO believes can be educated – and marketed.
"In my view the reality that the international society holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
