"A household located in north London is looking for an extraordinary and qualified instructor to support their youngest child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might readily overlook the phrase "beginning" as simple figurative language.
Yet, it may be the crucial element of this distinctive position posting, as it aims to find a mentor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of applications have since been received since the anonymous family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the post has received notice in the news, with several questioning why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their quest, stated that notwithstanding initial doubt, he found the plan "visionary", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he noted they appreciated the unusual character of their demand, and how young their son is.
But, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had already become established".
What exactly does the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam replied. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He said the older sibling had picked up "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family explained to the consultant they did not want history to recur with their new baby.
The intention: To engage a British tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the development at the beginning here is rather absorbed naturally," said the CEO.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will pick up the British traits they want to instil.
Adam explained the tutor must be someone who attended "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator must be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Money No Object
The family explained to the expert the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in equestrian activities, winter sports, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to influence the child in a wide range of interests.
Furthermore though, he said the family desired the tutor to register the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will result in accomplishment and create opportunities.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he notes.
But, despite all this guidance in "English culture", would the child adopt alleged cultural influence from the globally influenced family he lives with regardless?
"Absolutely", said he. "The parents know this might not succeed, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he explained.
Impractical
There are some in the education sector who share these concerns.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who also offer private tutors, commented that "the process of embracing two identities, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
The expert wrote that he had emigrated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the age of seven, and had been raised understanding and embodying dual heritages. He continued to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that one individual can serve as a representation of English culture, a person who can somehow transfer the characteristics of a UK sophisticate to a one-year-old child, seems to me naive and unfeasible," he wrote.
"In my experience, having a distinctly British tutor from infancy will not instantly achieve the result they hope for.
"I never had such a figure, and however I have been privileged enough to live many of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, cultural identity cannot be imposed from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, UK identity is something the CEO hopes can be instructed – and sold.
"I believe the fact that the international society holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
