"Parents residing in North London is looking for an exceptional and experienced instructor to guide their youngest child on his first steps to turning into an English gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might naturally overlook the term "beginning" as mere a turn of phrase.
However, it might be the crucial part of this distinctive position posting, as it seeks to hire a teacher for a infant.
Many of submissions have already been sent in since the unidentified family posted their call for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted attention throughout the media, with several questioning why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their quest, said that despite early doubt, he found the plan "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they recognized the atypical character of their requirement, and how immature 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 age "cultural bias had already taken hold".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam replied. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He said the firstborn had absorbed "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family informed Adam they hoped to prevent history to happen again with their younger child.
The plan: To bring in a British tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the learning at the start here is rather absorbed naturally," explained Adam.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will pick up the British traits they want to instil.
He said the tutor must be somebody who went to "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor must be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told him the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to shape the child in a wide range of hobbies.
More than that though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son become a "UK sophisticate" will bring about success and create opportunities.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he adds.
Yet, notwithstanding all this instruction in "Britishness", might the child pick up alleged cultural influence from the international family he is raised by in any case?
"Absolutely", said he. "The family know this could fail, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'we should try and we should start as soon as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the education sector who express similar concerns.
Peter Cui, head and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer private tutors, stated that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
He wrote that he had relocated from China to the UK at the time of 7 years old, and had been brought up knowing and embodying dual heritages. He progressed to learn at Cambridge University.
"The idea that one individual can act as a living vessel of UK identity, an individual who can somehow transplant the qualities of a UK sophisticate onto a infant child, seems to me optimistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"From my perspective, engaging a distinctly British tutor from early childhood will does not instantly produce the result they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to live numerous of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, cultural identity cannot be dictated from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the expert believes can be instructed – and marketed.
"I believe the reality that the world regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
