"A family residing in North London is looking for an exceptional and qualified tutor to support their most junior child on his first steps to becoming an English gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might readily overlook the phrase "beginning" as mere an expression.
However, it might be the most significant aspect of this distinctive employment listing, as it seeks to find a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Many of responses have now been received since the unidentified family posted their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the post has gained attention throughout the press, with several wondering why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their quest, said that notwithstanding first skepticism, he viewed the idea "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he noted they understood the atypical nature of their requirement, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had by then become established".
What precisely does the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam answered. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the firstborn had picked up "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family explained to the consultant they did not want this pattern to happen again with their younger child.
The intention: To bring in a English tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the learning at the start here is somewhat acquired indirectly," said the expert.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will acquire the British traits they wish to impart.
Adam noted the tutor needed to be somebody who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed Adam the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in horse riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and music so as to shape the child in a diverse set of interests.
Furthermore though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son develop into a "British gentleman" will lead to achievement and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he notes.
However, notwithstanding all this instruction in "English culture", might the child pick up alleged cultural leaning from the multicultural family he resides with regardless?
"Absolutely", replied he. "The parents realize this could fail, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'we should try and we should start as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he said.
Impractical
Several in the education sector who have those reservations.
Peter Cui, chief executive of Blue Education, who also offer private tutors, stated that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
Peter wrote that he had moved from Asia to the Britain at the time of childhood, and had been brought up understanding and living dual heritages. He continued to learn at Cambridge University.
"The idea that a single person can serve as a living vessel of English culture, an individual who can somehow impart the attributes of a British gentleman to a 12-month-old child, strikes me as optimistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"In my experience, employing a distinctly English tutor from infancy will does not instantly create the outcome they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and however I have been lucky enough to live many of the situations they desire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, self-identity cannot be imposed from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the expert hopes can be educated – and marketed.
"I think the fact that the international society regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
