"A family based in North London wants to find an remarkable and experienced instructor to assist their most junior child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might easily overlook the phrase "initial stages" as mere an expression.
But, it could be the most significant part of this unique employment listing, as it seeks to recruit a teacher for a infant.
Hundreds of submissions have since been submitted since the anonymous family published their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the post has received notice throughout the press, with numerous wondering why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, chief executive of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their quest, stated that in spite of early skepticism, he found the idea "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he noted they recognized the unconventional character of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
However, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural influence had by then set in".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", he responded. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He said the elder child had adopted "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family explained to the consultant they wished to avoid the same situation to recur with their younger child.
The strategy: To bring in a UK tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the development at the beginning here is kind of absorbed naturally," said the CEO.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will adopt the English characteristics they aim to instil.
He noted the tutor must be somebody who studied at "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told him the successful candidate should preferably also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in horse riding, winter sports, creative fields and musical activities so as to influence the child in a diverse set of interests.
Furthermore though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son become a "UK sophisticate" will result in success and create opportunities.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he comments.
Yet, despite all this instruction in "English culture", might the child adopt so-called cultural influence from the globally influenced family he resides with anyway?
"Yes", said he. "The parents realize this could fail, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'we should try and we should start as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he said.
Impractical
Several in the private teaching field who share those concerns.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who provides individual instructors, commented that "the process of becoming bicultural, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
Peter noted that he had moved from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the time of 7 years old, and had been brought up knowing and living two backgrounds. He progressed to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that an individual can function as a living vessel of English culture, an individual who can in some way impart the characteristics of a British gentleman to a 12-month-old child, strikes me as idealistic and impractical," he commented.
"In my experience, employing a typically British tutor from early childhood will will not instantly produce the outcome they hope for.
"I never had such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to enjoy several of the situations they desire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, personal identity cannot be imposed from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, English culture is something the expert thinks can be educated – and marketed.
"In my view the fact that the global community regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
