"A family located in north London seeks an remarkable and skilled tutor to support their smallest child on his early path to becoming an English gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might readily overlook the term "initial stages" as just figurative language.
However, it might be the crucial aspect of this unusual employment listing, as it aims to find a tutor for a infant.
Hundreds of submissions have already been sent in since the unnamed family published their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
In recent few weeks, the post has gained attention across the news, with numerous asking why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their quest, explained that in spite of initial skepticism, he considered the idea "visionary", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he noted they recognized the unconventional character of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
But, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had by then become established".
What precisely did the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", he replied. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He said the older sibling had picked up "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family informed him they hoped to prevent this pattern to happen again with their new baby.
The plan: To bring in a British tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the development at the start here is rather absorbed naturally," explained the CEO.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will adopt the British traits they wish to impart.
The consultant said the tutor must be somebody who went to "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will bring about accomplishment and open doors.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he notes.
Yet, in spite of all this guidance in "UK identity", might the child pick up so-called cultural influence from the globally influenced family he resides with anyway?
"Yes", said he. "They know this may not work, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who share similar reservations.
Peter Cui, head and founder of Blue Education, who supplies personal educators, commented that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
Peter noted that he had emigrated from China to the UK at the time of 7 years old, and had been brought up experiencing and practicing dual heritages. He progressed to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that one individual can serve as a embodiment of English culture, an individual who can somehow impart the attributes of a British gentleman onto a infant child, seems to me idealistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"From my perspective, employing a distinctly British tutor from babyhood will not necessarily achieve the outcome they desire.
"I never had such a tutor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to experience many of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, personal identity should not be dictated from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, Britishness is something the expert believes can be educated – and commercialized.
"I think the fact that the global community views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
