"A household residing in north London seeks an extraordinary and qualified instructor to assist their most junior child on his first steps to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might naturally overlook the wording "beginning" as simple an expression.
However, it could be the most significant element of this distinctive position posting, as it aims to find a mentor for a infant.
Numerous of applications have already been submitted since the unnamed family advertised their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has received attention across the press, with many wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their search, said that notwithstanding early skepticism, he considered the concept "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he said they understood the atypical character of their request, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural bias had already taken hold".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", he answered. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the firstborn had adopted "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family told him they hoped to prevent history to repeat itself with their new baby.
The strategy: To bring in a British tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the education at the start here is somewhat osmotic," explained the expert.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will acquire the English characteristics they wish to instil.
The consultant explained the tutor must be someone who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Money No Object
The family told the expert the successful candidate should preferably also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in riding, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to shape the child in a diverse set of interests.
More than that though, he stated the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will bring about success and open doors.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he notes.
However, despite all this instruction in "English culture", could the child pick up alleged cultural bias from the multicultural family he is raised by in any case?
"Absolutely", replied the CEO. "The parents know this may not work, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he stated.
Impractical
Several in the tutoring industry who have those concerns.
Peter Cui, chief executive of an educational organization, who supplies private tutors, wrote that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
The expert wrote that he had emigrated from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the time of seven, and had been brought up understanding and practicing dual heritages. He progressed to learn at Cambridge University.
"The notion that an individual can function as a representation of Britishness, an individual who can possibly transplant the characteristics of a English gentleman to a infant child, appears optimistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"In my experience, engaging a quintessentially UK tutor from infancy will will not automatically create the goal they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and yet I have been lucky enough to enjoy numerous of the experiences they hope for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, cultural identity should not be dictated from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be educated – and sold.
"I believe the fact that the global community views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
