"A household located in north London seeks an extraordinary and skilled tutor to assist their most junior child on his early path to growing into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might naturally skip the phrase "initial stages" as just an expression.
Yet, it could be the most important element of this unique employment listing, as it attempts to find a mentor for a infant.
Many of submissions have already been submitted since the anonymous family published their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has received interest in the media, with many questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, chief executive of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their search, said that notwithstanding initial scepticism, he considered the concept "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they recognized the unusual character of their request, and how immature their son is.
But, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already set in".
What exactly did the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", the expert answered. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He said the elder child had absorbed "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family explained to him they did not want the same situation to recur with their new baby.
The plan: To bring in a British tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the learning at the start here is kind of osmotic," explained Adam.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will adopt the British traits they want to impart.
Adam noted the tutor needed to be someone who studied at "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor must be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or interest in riding, alpine skiing, the arts and music so as to inspire the child in a wide range of interests.
More than that though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a range of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an 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 achievement and open doors.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he adds.
Yet, in spite of all this instruction in "English culture", might the child absorb so-called cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he is raised by regardless?
"Absolutely", said he. "The parents understand this might not succeed, 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 irrelevant," he stated.
Impractical
Several in the education sector who share these doubts.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who provides individual instructors, stated that "the process of embracing two identities, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
The expert explained that he had relocated from Asia to the UK at the time of childhood, and had been educated understanding and embodying dual heritages. He continued to study at Cambridge University.
"The notion that one individual can act as a representation of English culture, an individual who can possibly impart the qualities of a UK sophisticate onto a one-year-old child, seems to me optimistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"In my experience, having a distinctly English tutor from infancy will will not automatically achieve the goal they want.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to enjoy numerous of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He added: "The fact is, cultural identity cannot be dictated from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, UK identity is something the expert hopes can be taught – and commercialized.
"In my view the situation that the global community regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
