"Parents residing in North London seeks an remarkable and skilled tutor to guide their smallest child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might easily skip the wording "beginning" as simple a turn of phrase.
But, it might be the most significant aspect of this unique position posting, as it seeks to hire a mentor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of responses have now been received since the anonymous family advertised their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
In recent few weeks, the post has gained interest throughout the press, with several questioning why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their search, stated that notwithstanding initial scepticism, he viewed the idea "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they understood the unconventional nature of their request, and how young their son is.
But, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
What exactly does the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", the expert responded. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the firstborn had picked up "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family explained to the consultant they hoped to prevent this pattern to happen again with their infant.
The strategy: To bring in a British tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the education at the beginning here is somewhat osmotic," said the CEO.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will pick up the English characteristics they want to impart.
He explained the tutor must be someone who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed him the successful candidate should preferably also have understanding of or interest in horse riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and music so as to influence the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son become a "English gentleman" will result in success and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he comments.
But, despite all this guidance in "Britishness", could the child adopt what is termed cultural bias from the globally influenced family he is raised by in any case?
"Absolutely", said he. "The parents understand this may not work, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he said.
Impractical
A number of in the education sector who express those concerns.
An education leader, head and founder of an educational organization, who also offer personal educators, stated that "the development of becoming bicultural, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
He wrote that he had moved from Asia to the United Kingdom at the time of childhood, and had been educated knowing and embodying dual heritages. He went on to study at Cambridge University.
"The concept that one individual can function as a embodiment of Britishness, someone who can possibly transfer the characteristics of a British gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, appears optimistic and impractical," he commented.
"In my experience, engaging a quintessentially UK tutor from infancy will does not automatically achieve the outcome they hope for.
"I did not have such a figure, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to live numerous of the situations they desire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, cultural identity should not be imposed from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, English culture is something the expert hopes can be instructed – and marketed.
"In my view the fact that the world views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
