"Parents residing in north London is looking for an extraordinary and qualified tutor to assist their youngest child on his first steps to becoming an English gentleman."
When reading this post, you might naturally miss the phrase "beginning" as simple an expression.
However, it might be the most significant aspect of this distinctive position posting, as it attempts to find a tutor for a one-year-old.
Many of applications have already been received since the unnamed family advertised their call for the highly paid tutor, who must be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the post has attracted interest in the media, with numerous questioning why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their hunt, explained that despite first skepticism, he found the idea "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he said they recognized the atypical aspect of their demand, and how young their son is.
But, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had by then taken hold".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert answered. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the firstborn had picked up "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family explained to Adam they did not want history to repeat itself with their infant.
The plan: To hire a British tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the learning at the beginning here is rather osmotic," stated the CEO.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will adopt the British traits they want to impart.
The consultant said the tutor must be somebody who attended "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in riding, skiing, the arts and music so as to inspire the child in a wide range of passions.
More than that though, he explained the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will result in success and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he notes.
However, despite all this instruction in "UK identity", might the child absorb alleged cultural leaning from the multicultural family he is raised by in any case?
"Certainly", replied he. "The family know this may not work, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he stated.
Impractical
Several in the education sector who share those reservations.
Peter Cui, head and founder of a tutoring service, who provides private tutors, stated that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
Peter noted that he had relocated from China to the UK at the time of 7 years old, and had been educated knowing and embodying both cultures. He progressed to learn at Cambridge University.
"The notion that one individual can act as a embodiment of Britishness, an individual who can in some way impart the qualities of a UK sophisticate to a 12-month-old child, strikes me as idealistic and impractical," he commented.
"In my experience, having a distinctly British tutor from babyhood will will not instantly produce the outcome they hope for.
"I did not have such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to experience many of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, self-identity can not be imposed from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, Britishness is something the CEO thinks can be educated – and commercialized.
"In my view the fact that the world views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
