"A family located in North London wants to find an remarkable and skilled tutor to guide their smallest child on his first steps to becoming an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might naturally overlook the phrase "beginning" as mere figurative language.
But, it may be the most important part of this unusual job advert, as it attempts to recruit a teacher for a infant.
Hundreds of applications have since been submitted since the unidentified family advertised their call for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
In recent few weeks, the listing has gained attention across the media, with several wondering why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their hunt, said that despite early skepticism, he found the idea "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he noted they appreciated the unusual nature of their request, and how young their son is.
However, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already become established".
What precisely did the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", he responded. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He said the older sibling had absorbed "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family informed him they hoped to prevent this pattern to recur with their infant.
The strategy: To hire a British tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the education at the start here is rather osmotic," said the CEO.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will pick up the English characteristics they wish to impart.
He said the tutor had 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 educator simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed him the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in horse riding, skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
More than that though, he said the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an musical 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.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he notes.
But, despite all this guidance in "UK identity", would the child pick up alleged cultural influence from the international family he is raised by anyway?
"Absolutely", answered Adam. "The parents understand this may not work, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as soon as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the private teaching field who share similar concerns.
An education leader, chief executive of a tutoring service, who also offer private tutors, stated that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
Peter noted that he had relocated from the Far East to the UK at the age of seven, and had been brought up experiencing and embodying dual heritages. He continued to study at Cambridge University.
"The concept that an individual can serve as a living vessel of UK identity, someone who can possibly impart the characteristics of a British gentleman to a infant child, appears naive and unrealistic," he commented.
"Based on my background, engaging a typically English tutor from early childhood will not automatically create the result they want.
"I did not have such a figure, and however I have been lucky enough to live numerous of the situations they desire for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, personal identity should not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, UK identity is something Adam hopes can be taught – and marketed.
"In my view the reality that the world regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
