"Parents located in North London seeks an extraordinary and experienced tutor to support their smallest child on his first steps to becoming an English gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might naturally miss the phrase "beginning" as just a turn of phrase.
Yet, it may be the crucial part of this distinctive employment listing, as it attempts to hire a tutor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of responses have now been received since the unidentified family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the post has attracted interest in the news, with numerous questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their hunt, explained that in spite of initial scepticism, he considered the concept "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he noted they understood the unusual aspect of their demand, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural influence had by then set in".
What exactly does the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", Adam responded. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the firstborn had adopted "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family explained to the consultant they did not want the same situation to recur with their younger child.
The intention: To hire a UK tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the learning at the beginning here is kind of acquired indirectly," said Adam.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will pick up the English characteristics they want to instil.
The consultant noted the tutor needed to be an individual who attended "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told him the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in horse riding, skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
Additionally though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a range of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, assisting their son become a "English gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and open doors.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he comments.
Yet, in spite of all this instruction in "UK identity", would the child adopt what is termed cultural influence from the multicultural family he lives with regardless?
"Yes", replied he. "The family understand this could fail, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'we should try and let's go as early as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the private teaching field who have these concerns.
Another CEO, head and founder of Blue Education, who also offer individual instructors, wrote that "the journey of embracing two identities, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
He wrote that he had emigrated from China to the UK at the time of childhood, and had been raised understanding and living two backgrounds. He continued to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that one individual can act as a representation of Britishness, an individual who can somehow impart the characteristics of a British gentleman upon a infant child, appears idealistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"From my perspective, engaging a distinctly UK tutor from babyhood will will not automatically produce the result they desire.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and however I have been privileged enough to enjoy many of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, personal identity cannot be dictated from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, UK identity is something the CEO hopes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I believe the situation that the international society views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
