"A household located in the northern part of London wants to find an exceptional and experienced educator to guide their smallest child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might readily overlook the term "beginning" as simple a turn of phrase.
Yet, it may be the most important part of this distinctive job advert, as it aims to recruit a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of submissions have already been received since the anonymous family posted their search for the highly paid tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the listing has gained attention throughout the news, with many questioning why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, chief executive of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their quest, explained that in spite of first skepticism, he found the concept "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they recognized the unconventional nature of their demand, and how young their son is.
However, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural bias had by then become established".
What exactly does the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam answered. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the elder child had absorbed "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family informed him they did not want history to repeat itself with their younger child.
The plan: To bring in a British tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the learning at the outset here is rather osmotic," stated Adam.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will pick up the English characteristics they wish to impart.
He explained the tutor must be someone who went to "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in equestrian activities, skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
More than that though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son grow into a "British gentleman" will bring about success and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he comments.
Yet, notwithstanding all this instruction in "UK identity", would the child pick up what is termed cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he resides with in any case?
"Certainly", said the CEO. "They realize this could fail, but they've just taken the view of, 'we should try and let's go as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the private teaching field who share similar reservations.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who also offer personal educators, wrote that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
The expert noted that he had emigrated from China to the UK at the time of childhood, and had been raised knowing and practicing both cultures. He continued to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that an individual can serve as a representation of Britishness, an individual who can possibly transplant the attributes of a English gentleman to a 12-month-old child, seems to me optimistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"From my perspective, having a quintessentially British tutor from babyhood will does not instantly achieve the result they hope for.
"I never had such a tutor, and however I have been lucky enough to enjoy numerous of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, self-identity should not be imposed from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, English culture is something Adam hopes can be taught – and commercialized.
"I think the situation that the international society holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
