"A family located in the northern part of London seeks an remarkable and qualified instructor to assist their youngest child on his initial journey to growing into an English gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might easily skip the term "beginning" as mere figurative language.
However, it might be the most important aspect of this unique position posting, as it attempts to hire a mentor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of submissions have now been received since the unidentified family posted their search for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has gained attention throughout the media, with numerous wondering why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, chief executive of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their quest, explained that notwithstanding early skepticism, he viewed the concept "visionary", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he noted they understood the unconventional nature of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
But, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already taken hold".
What exactly does the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert replied. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the firstborn had absorbed "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family explained to him they wished to avoid this pattern to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To hire a UK tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to influence the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the learning at the outset here is somewhat acquired indirectly," explained the CEO.
It's via this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will pick up the British traits they wish to instil.
The consultant said the tutor must be someone who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to him the chosen tutor should preferably also have knowledge of or passion in horse riding, skiing, creative fields and music so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Additionally though, he stated the family desired the tutor to register the child on a selection of lessons 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, guiding their son develop into a "English gentleman" will result in success and provide access.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he notes.
Yet, despite all this tutelage in "Britishness", could the child adopt alleged cultural leaning from the international family he lives with in any case?
"Absolutely", said he. "The parents know this may not work, but they've just taken the view of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as early as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the tutoring industry who express these doubts.
An education leader, chief executive of Blue Education, who provides personal educators, stated that "the process of becoming bicultural, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
The expert wrote that he had relocated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the age of childhood, and had been educated knowing and practicing two backgrounds. He continued to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that a single person can function as a representation of English culture, someone who can somehow impart the characteristics of a English gentleman to a one-year-old child, seems to me naive and unfeasible," he stated.
"From my perspective, engaging a typically UK tutor from infancy will will not automatically create the result they want.
"I never had such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to live numerous of the situations they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, cultural identity should not be dictated from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, UK identity is something Adam hopes can be instructed – and marketed.
"I believe the reality that the global community holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
