"A household residing in north London is looking for an extraordinary and experienced tutor to guide their youngest child on his early path to turning into an British gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might readily skip the term "beginning" as simple an expression.
However, it could be the most important part of this unique position posting, as it aims to find a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of responses have now been submitted since the unidentified family advertised their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the listing has attracted interest throughout the news, with many questioning why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their quest, said that in spite of initial skepticism, he considered the idea "visionary", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he said they recognized the atypical character of their request, and how immature their son is.
But, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", the expert answered. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the elder child had absorbed "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family informed him they did not want the same situation to recur with their new baby.
The plan: To engage a UK tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to shape the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the learning at the start here is kind of osmotic," explained Adam.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will acquire the British traits they aim to impart.
He noted the tutor had to be someone who studied at "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Money No Object
The family told the expert the selected educator should preferably also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in horse riding, winter sports, creative fields and music so as to shape the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he said the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son develop into a "British gentleman" will result in success and create opportunities.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he notes.
But, notwithstanding all this instruction in "Britishness", would the child absorb what is termed cultural leaning from the international family he resides with regardless?
"Certainly", replied the CEO. "They know this may not work, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the education sector who express those concerns.
An education leader, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who provides individual instructors, commented that "the journey of embracing two identities, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
The expert noted that he had relocated from Asia to the UK at the time of 7 years old, and had been raised understanding and living dual heritages. He went on to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that an individual can serve as a embodiment of UK identity, someone who can in some way transplant the qualities of a English gentleman to a infant child, strikes me as optimistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"From my perspective, having a distinctly UK tutor from infancy will will not necessarily achieve the result they hope for.
"I did not have such a figure, and however I have been fortunate enough to experience many of the experiences they hope for their son."
He added: "The reality is, cultural identity cannot be imposed from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, English culture is something the expert thinks can be taught – and marketed.
"In my view the fact that the international society holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
