"A family residing in north London seeks an extraordinary and skilled tutor to support their most junior child on his initial journey to becoming an English gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might naturally skip the term "initial stages" as mere a turn of phrase.
Yet, it may be the crucial element of this distinctive position posting, as it aims to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of submissions have already been submitted since the unnamed family posted their call for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the post has gained notice across the news, with many asking why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their hunt, explained that in spite of initial skepticism, he considered the idea "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they recognized the atypical nature of their demand, and how young their son is.
However, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural bias had already set in".
But what did the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", Adam answered. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He stated the older sibling had picked up "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family explained to the consultant they wished to avoid the same situation to happen again with their younger child.
The intention: To engage a UK tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the development at the outset here is somewhat acquired indirectly," stated Adam.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will acquire the UK customs they aim to instil.
The consultant explained the tutor had to be somebody who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – 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 aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed Adam the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or passion in horse riding, winter sports, the arts and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Furthermore though, he said the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son develop into a "British gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and create opportunities.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he notes.
But, in spite of all this instruction in "English culture", might the child absorb what is termed cultural influence from the globally influenced family he lives with regardless?
"Absolutely", replied the CEO. "The parents know this may not work, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the tutoring industry who share those reservations.
An education leader, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who supplies individual instructors, commented that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
He explained that he had relocated from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the time of seven, and had been brought up understanding and living both cultures. He went on to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that one individual can serve as a living vessel of UK identity, an individual who can somehow impart the characteristics of a English gentleman to a infant child, appears optimistic and impractical," he wrote.
"From my perspective, having a typically British tutor from early childhood will does not necessarily create the result they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and yet I have been privileged enough to live several of the situations they hope for their son."
He stated: "The reality is, personal identity cannot be imposed from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be instructed – and marketed.
"I think the reality that the global community holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
