"Parents residing in North London is looking for an remarkable and experienced educator to assist their smallest child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might easily overlook the wording "beginning" as just figurative language.
But, it could be the most significant aspect of this unusual employment listing, as it aims to recruit a tutor for a one-year-old.
Numerous of submissions have already been submitted since the anonymous family posted their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the post has attracted notice throughout the press, with many asking why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their hunt, stated that notwithstanding early scepticism, he viewed the idea "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he said they recognized the unconventional nature of their demand, and how young their son is.
However, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already set in".
But what did the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", he answered. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He said the older sibling had adopted "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family told him they did not want the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To engage a UK tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the learning at the beginning here is rather acquired indirectly," explained the expert.
It's through this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will pick up the UK customs they aim to cultivate.
He noted the tutor needed to be somebody who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Money No Object
The family told the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, creative fields and music so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
More than that though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a range of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son grow into a "British gentleman" will bring about achievement and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he notes.
Yet, despite all this guidance in "UK identity", could the child pick up alleged cultural bias from the multicultural family he is raised by regardless?
"Absolutely", answered Adam. "They realize this might not succeed, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'we should try and we should start as early as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the education sector who express those concerns.
An education leader, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who supplies individual instructors, wrote that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
Peter explained that he had moved from China to the Britain at the period of childhood, and had been educated knowing and practicing both cultures. He progressed to study at Cambridge University.
"The idea that one individual can function as a living vessel of English culture, an individual who can possibly impart the characteristics of a British gentleman onto a infant child, appears idealistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"Based on my background, engaging a distinctly UK tutor from infancy will will not necessarily achieve the outcome they desire.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to enjoy several of the experiences they hope for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, cultural identity should not be forced from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, English culture is something the expert thinks can be taught – and sold.
"In my view the reality that the world holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
