"A household residing in the northern part of London seeks an exceptional and experienced tutor to guide their smallest child on his early path to growing into an English gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might readily miss the wording "initial stages" as just figurative language.
However, it may be the crucial part of this unusual position posting, as it aims to hire a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Many of responses have since been sent in since the unidentified family posted their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has received attention across the press, with numerous wondering why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their quest, stated that despite initial scepticism, he viewed the idea "visionary", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they understood the unconventional nature of their request, and how young their son is.
But, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already taken hold".
What precisely did the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert replied. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He explained the elder child had absorbed "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family told the consultant they hoped to prevent history to happen again with their new baby.
The intention: To engage a UK tutor, who should speak with RP, to guide the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the development at the start here is kind of osmotic," explained the CEO.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will pick up the British traits they wish to cultivate.
He said the tutor needed to be someone who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son become a "English gentleman" will result in achievement and open doors.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he comments.
However, despite all this instruction in "Britishness", might the child absorb so-called cultural bias from the globally influenced family he lives with anyway?
"Absolutely", replied he. "The family understand this may not work, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he explained.
Impractical
A number of in the tutoring industry who have these reservations.
Peter Cui, chief executive of an educational organization, who also offer personal educators, wrote that "the development of embracing two identities, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
He noted that he had moved from the Far East to the UK at the time of 7 years old, and had been raised experiencing and practicing dual heritages. He continued to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The concept that an individual can serve as a representation of English culture, an individual who can somehow transfer the qualities of a British gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, appears naive and unfeasible," he wrote.
"Based on my background, engaging a typically British tutor from infancy will will not instantly achieve the outcome they desire.
"I never had such a figure, and yet I have been privileged enough to experience numerous of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, self-identity cannot be imposed from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the CEO believes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"In my view the fact that the world regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
