"A family based in North London seeks an extraordinary and experienced instructor to assist their smallest child on his early path to turning into an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might easily skip the wording "beginning" as simple a turn of phrase.
Yet, it could be the crucial part of this unique position posting, as it aims to hire a tutor for a infant.
Hundreds of applications have since been received since the unnamed family advertised their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the listing has received interest across the press, with many questioning why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their search, explained that despite first skepticism, he found the plan "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unconventional nature of their request, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already taken hold".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", the expert responded. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He said the elder child had absorbed "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family told the consultant they wished to avoid history to happen again with their infant.
The intention: To hire a UK tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the education at the start here is kind of osmotic," explained the CEO.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will acquire the English characteristics they wish to cultivate.
The consultant noted the tutor needed to be somebody who went to "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in equestrian activities, skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a wide range of interests.
More than that though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son develop into a "English gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and create opportunities.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he comments.
However, in spite of all this tutelage in "Britishness", would the child pick up alleged cultural leaning from the multicultural family he is raised by anyway?
"Absolutely", answered Adam. "The family understand this may not work, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as soon as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the education sector who share similar reservations.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who supplies private tutors, stated that "the process of becoming bicultural, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
Peter noted that he had moved from the Far East to the Britain at the age of 7 years old, and had been educated understanding and living both cultures. He went on to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that one individual can serve as a embodiment of UK identity, someone who can possibly impart the qualities of a English gentleman onto a one-year-old child, strikes me as idealistic and unrealistic," he stated.
"From my perspective, employing a typically English tutor from babyhood will will not automatically achieve the outcome they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and yet I have been privileged enough to experience numerous of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He added: "The fact is, cultural identity can not be imposed from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, UK identity is something the expert thinks can be taught – and commercialized.
"In my view the fact that the world holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
