"A household residing in North London is looking for an extraordinary and experienced tutor to guide their youngest child on his initial journey to growing into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might naturally miss the phrase "beginning" as simple a turn of phrase.
Yet, it might be the most important element of this unique employment listing, as it aims to recruit a tutor for a one-year-old.
Numerous of submissions have already been sent in since the unidentified family advertised their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the advert has gained notice in the press, with many wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their hunt, stated that notwithstanding early skepticism, he considered the idea "visionary", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he said they appreciated the unusual character of their request, and how young their son is.
However, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had already become established".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", he replied. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He said the firstborn had adopted "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family informed the consultant they wished to avoid this pattern to recur with their younger child.
The plan: To bring in a English tutor, who must speak with RP, to shape the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the learning at the outset here is rather absorbed naturally," stated the CEO.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will pick up the British traits they aim to cultivate.
Adam noted the tutor must be somebody who attended "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed him the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
More than that though, he said the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a range of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son develop into a "British gentleman" will bring about success and open doors.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he adds.
However, despite all this tutelage in "Britishness", could the child pick up what is termed cultural bias from the globally influenced family he lives with regardless?
"Yes", answered Adam. "The parents realize this could fail, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as soon as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he stated.
Impractical
A number of in the private teaching field who share these doubts.
Peter Cui, head and founder of Blue Education, who also offer private tutors, stated that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
Peter noted that he had relocated from China to the United Kingdom at the time of 7 years old, and had been raised experiencing and practicing both cultures. He continued to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that an individual can serve as a embodiment of Britishness, a person who can somehow transfer the characteristics of a British gentleman onto a infant child, appears idealistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"In my experience, engaging a distinctly British tutor from babyhood will will not automatically achieve the result they desire.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to experience numerous of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, personal identity can not be forced from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, UK identity is something the expert thinks can be educated – and commercialized.
"I think the fact that the world regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
