"A family located in North London wants to find an extraordinary and qualified tutor to assist their youngest child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might easily skip the phrase "initial stages" as just figurative language.
Yet, it could be the most significant part of this unusual job advert, as it aims to find a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of submissions have already been submitted since the anonymous family published 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 press, with numerous questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their hunt, stated that notwithstanding initial doubt, he found the idea "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unconventional aspect of their demand, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already set in".
What exactly does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", he answered. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the firstborn had absorbed "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family told Adam they hoped to prevent history to recur with their younger child.
The intention: To engage a English tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the education at the beginning here is rather absorbed naturally," explained the CEO.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will acquire the British traits they aim to cultivate.
The consultant explained the tutor must be someone who went to "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator must be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to Adam the successful candidate should preferably also have knowledge of or interest in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a wide range of passions.
Furthermore though, he said the family desired the tutor to register the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training 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 bring about success and create opportunities.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he comments.
Yet, despite all this tutelage in "English culture", might the child adopt alleged cultural leaning from the multicultural family he lives with regardless?
"Yes", said he. "They understand this could fail, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the education sector who share those concerns.
An education leader, chief executive of a tutoring service, who provides individual instructors, commented that "the development of embracing two identities, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
The expert explained that he had moved from China to the UK at the time of seven, and had been brought up experiencing and practicing both cultures. He progressed to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that an individual can function as a embodiment of Britishness, a person who can in some way transfer the qualities of a English gentleman onto a one-year-old child, strikes me as optimistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"In my experience, employing a quintessentially UK tutor from early childhood will not automatically achieve the goal they want.
"I never had such a tutor, and however I have been fortunate enough to experience several of the experiences they hope for their son."
He added: "The fact is, cultural identity cannot be dictated from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, English culture is something the CEO believes can be educated – and commercialized.
"I think the fact that the international society regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
