"A household residing in the northern part of London wants to find an extraordinary and experienced instructor to guide their most junior child on his initial journey to becoming an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might naturally overlook the term "beginning" as mere figurative language.
However, it might be the crucial element of this unusual position posting, as it seeks to recruit a mentor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of applications have already been submitted since the anonymous family advertised their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the post has attracted interest throughout the media, with several questioning why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their search, explained that despite first skepticism, he found the concept "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they understood the unusual character of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
However, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had already become established".
What precisely did the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", he answered. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He said the firstborn had absorbed "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family explained to the consultant they wished to avoid this pattern to repeat itself with their infant.
The plan: To bring in a English tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the development at the beginning here is somewhat acquired indirectly," stated Adam.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will pick up the English characteristics they want to cultivate.
Adam noted the tutor must be someone who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed him the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or interest in riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to influence the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Additionally though, he said the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, assisting their son develop into a "English gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he adds.
Yet, notwithstanding all this instruction in "Britishness", could the child absorb what is termed cultural leaning from the multicultural family he resides with in any case?
"Yes", replied Adam. "The parents know this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'we should try and we should start as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the private teaching field who have similar reservations.
Peter Cui, head and founder of an educational organization, who also offer private tutors, commented that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
He wrote that he had relocated from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the period of 7 years old, and had been brought up understanding and living dual heritages. He progressed to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that an individual can act as a representation of Britishness, someone who can in some way impart the attributes of a UK sophisticate onto a infant child, appears optimistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"In my experience, having a distinctly English tutor from early childhood will not necessarily create the goal they desire.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and yet I have been lucky enough to live many of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, self-identity can not be imposed from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, UK identity is something the expert thinks can be taught – and commercialized.
"In my view the fact that the international society views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
