"A household based in the northern part of London seeks an exceptional and qualified educator to support their most junior child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might readily skip the term "beginning" as simple figurative language.
Yet, it could be the crucial element of this unusual employment listing, as it seeks to recruit a tutor for a infant.
Hundreds of responses have already been submitted since the unnamed family advertised their request for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the post has attracted attention across the media, with many questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their search, explained that despite initial skepticism, he found the concept "visionary", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he mentioned they recognized the unusual aspect of their request, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated 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 bias had already taken hold".
What precisely does the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", he answered. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He said the elder child had absorbed "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family informed him they did not want the same situation to repeat itself with their new baby.
The strategy: To engage a British tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the learning at the beginning here is rather absorbed naturally," stated the CEO.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will acquire the UK customs they wish to instil.
He explained the tutor had to be somebody who studied at "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed him the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to influence the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a range of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will result in success and provide access.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he adds.
However, notwithstanding all this guidance in "English culture", might the child pick up what is termed cultural influence from the multicultural family he lives with regardless?
"Yes", answered he. "The parents understand this could fail, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as early as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who express those doubts.
Peter Cui, head and founder of an educational organization, who provides private tutors, commented that "the journey of embracing two identities, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
The expert noted that he had emigrated from Asia to the Britain at the period of 7 years old, and had been raised experiencing and living dual heritages. He continued to learn at Cambridge University.
"The concept that a single person can serve as a embodiment of UK identity, someone who can somehow transplant the characteristics of a British gentleman to a 12-month-old child, strikes me as optimistic and impractical," he stated.
"From my perspective, employing a distinctly UK tutor from babyhood will does not necessarily create the outcome they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and yet I have been lucky enough to experience numerous of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, self-identity can not be dictated from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, Britishness is something Adam hopes can be taught – and commercialized.
"In my view the situation that the world holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
