"Parents residing in North London wants to find an exceptional and qualified educator to guide their youngest child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might readily skip the term "beginning" as just a turn of phrase.
Yet, it could be the crucial aspect of this unique position posting, as it attempts to hire a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of responses have now been submitted since the unidentified family posted their request for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the post has received notice throughout the media, with several questioning why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their hunt, stated that despite initial doubt, he viewed the concept "visionary", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unusual nature of their request, and how early in age their son is.
However, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already set in".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam replied. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the older sibling had adopted "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family explained to the consultant they wished to avoid the same situation to happen again with their new baby.
The plan: To bring in a UK tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the development at the outset here is kind of osmotic," stated Adam.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will acquire the UK customs they wish to cultivate.
Adam said the tutor had to be someone who went to "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor 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.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told the expert the chosen tutor should preferably also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
More than that though, he explained the family desired the tutor to register the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will result in accomplishment and create opportunities.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he comments.
Yet, in spite of all this tutelage in "UK identity", might the child pick up so-called cultural influence from the multicultural family he is raised by anyway?
"Absolutely", answered the CEO. "The family understand this may not work, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the private teaching field who have similar concerns.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who provides individual instructors, stated that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
Peter noted that he had emigrated from the Far East to the UK at the time of seven, and had been brought up understanding and living two backgrounds. He continued to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that a single person can serve as a representation of Britishness, a person who can possibly transplant the characteristics of a British gentleman onto a one-year-old child, appears naive and unrealistic," he stated.
"From my perspective, employing a distinctly English tutor from early childhood will will not necessarily create the result they want.
"I never had such a figure, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to experience numerous of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, personal identity cannot be forced from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Of course, UK identity is something the expert believes can be educated – and sold.
"In my view the reality that the world views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
