"A family residing in North London wants to find an exceptional and qualified instructor to assist their youngest child on his early path to becoming an English gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might naturally skip the term "beginning" as simple a turn of phrase.
Yet, it could be the most significant aspect of this unique position posting, as it aims to find a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of applications have since been sent in since the anonymous family published their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the listing has gained attention across the news, with several wondering why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their hunt, explained that notwithstanding early scepticism, he viewed the concept "visionary", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he said they appreciated the unusual nature of their requirement, and how young their son is.
However, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had by then taken hold".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert responded. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the elder child had adopted "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family explained to him they wished to avoid history to recur with their infant.
The strategy: To engage a English tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to influence the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the education at the beginning here is rather osmotic," explained Adam.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will acquire the English characteristics they want to impart.
He said the tutor must 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 must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed Adam the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in riding, skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to shape the child in a wide range of interests.
More than that though, he stated the family desired the tutor to register the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son develop into a "British gentleman" will bring about success and provide access.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he comments.
But, despite all this instruction in "UK identity", would the child absorb what is termed cultural leaning from the multicultural family he lives with regardless?
"Absolutely", replied the CEO. "The parents understand this may not work, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the education sector who have similar concerns.
Peter Cui, chief executive of Blue Education, who also offer private tutors, wrote that "the process of becoming bicultural, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
He explained that he had moved from Asia to the UK at the age of childhood, and had been brought up knowing and embodying two backgrounds. He went on to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that one individual can act as a living vessel of Britishness, a person who can possibly transfer the characteristics of a English gentleman upon a one-year-old child, seems to me idealistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"Based on my background, engaging a distinctly UK tutor from babyhood will does not necessarily create the result they want.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to experience several of the experiences they desire for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, personal identity can not be imposed from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Of course, English culture is something Adam believes can be educated – and sold.
"I think the situation that the global community holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
