"A household located in the northern part of London wants to find an extraordinary and qualified tutor to guide their most junior child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might naturally overlook the wording "beginning" as simple figurative language.
But, it might be the most significant part of this unusual employment listing, as it attempts to hire a teacher for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of applications have already been received since the unidentified family posted their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has gained notice across the press, with many asking why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their hunt, explained that notwithstanding first skepticism, he found the idea "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he noted they recognized the unusual character of their request, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had by then become established".
What exactly did the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", he responded. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the older sibling had adopted "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family informed him they hoped to prevent this pattern to recur with their younger child.
The strategy: To engage a British tutor, who must speak with RP, to shape the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the learning at the start here is somewhat acquired indirectly," explained the CEO.
It's via this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will pick up the UK customs they want to impart.
He said the tutor needed to be someone who attended "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to him the successful candidate should preferably also have familiarity of or passion in equestrian activities, skiing, the arts and music so as to shape the child in a wide range of hobbies.
More than that though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son grow into a "English gentleman" will bring about success and provide access.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he adds.
Yet, in spite of all this instruction in "UK identity", might the child absorb alleged cultural influence from the international family he resides with regardless?
"Yes", answered Adam. "They know this may not work, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'we should try and we should start as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the education sector who express these concerns.
Another CEO, head and founder of an educational organization, who supplies private tutors, stated that "the development of embracing two identities, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
Peter wrote that he had emigrated from the Far East to the Britain at the time of childhood, and had been educated understanding and practicing two backgrounds. He went on to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that a single person can function as a representation of Britishness, a person who can in some way transplant the characteristics of a English gentleman onto a one-year-old child, strikes me as naive and impractical," he commented.
"From my perspective, having a quintessentially UK tutor from babyhood will not automatically create the result they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and yet I have been privileged enough to live many of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, personal identity cannot be imposed from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, UK identity is something the CEO hopes can be educated – and marketed.
"I believe the reality that the international society views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
