"Parents residing in the northern part of London seeks an exceptional and qualified educator to assist their youngest child on his first steps to growing into an English gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might easily overlook the wording "beginning" as mere figurative language.
Yet, it might be the crucial element of this unique employment listing, as it seeks to recruit a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Many of applications have now been received since the unidentified family advertised their search for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the post has received notice in the news, with numerous questioning why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their search, explained that despite first scepticism, he found the plan "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they understood the atypical character of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already taken hold".
But what did the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", he responded. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the firstborn had adopted "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family explained to the consultant they wished to avoid the same situation to happen again with their new baby.
The intention: To engage a English tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the education at the beginning here is somewhat absorbed naturally," said the expert.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will acquire the English characteristics they aim to instil.
He explained the tutor had to be someone who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to him the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or interest in horse riding, alpine skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to influence the child in a wide range of passions.
More than that though, he explained the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a range of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will result in achievement and create opportunities.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he comments.
Yet, despite all this tutelage in "Britishness", would the child pick up what is termed cultural leaning from the international family he is raised by in any case?
"Absolutely", replied the CEO. "The parents understand this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the private teaching field who share these doubts.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who supplies personal educators, stated that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
Peter explained that he had relocated from Asia to the Britain at the age of seven, and had been brought up understanding and living two backgrounds. He continued to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that one individual can function as a representation of UK identity, an individual who can somehow transfer the attributes of a English gentleman to a 12-month-old child, strikes me as idealistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"From my perspective, employing a distinctly British tutor from infancy will does not necessarily achieve the outcome they desire.
"I did not have such a tutor, and however I have been fortunate enough to enjoy many of the experiences they desire for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, personal identity cannot be dictated from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Of course, Britishness is something Adam hopes can be taught – and commercialized.
"In my view the fact that the world holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
