"A family located in the northern part of London seeks an extraordinary and experienced tutor to support their youngest child on his first steps to becoming an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might readily overlook the wording "beginning" as just a turn of phrase.
However, it could be the crucial aspect of this unusual employment listing, as it aims to find a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of submissions have now been sent in since the anonymous family published their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has received notice across the news, with several asking why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their quest, explained that notwithstanding first doubt, he viewed the concept "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he mentioned they recognized the unconventional aspect of their demand, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had by then set in".
What exactly did the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", the expert replied. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the elder child had absorbed "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family told Adam they did not want the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To engage a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the education at the outset here is rather osmotic," explained the CEO.
It's via this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will adopt the UK customs they aim to impart.
He explained the tutor had to be someone who went to "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to Adam the successful candidate should preferably also have familiarity of or interest in horse riding, winter sports, the arts and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he said the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son become a "British gentleman" will result in achievement and create opportunities.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he comments.
However, notwithstanding all this instruction in "UK identity", might the child adopt what is termed cultural leaning from the multicultural family he resides with in any case?
"Certainly", answered the CEO. "The family realize this may not work, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'we should try and let's go as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who have these reservations.
Peter Cui, chief executive of a tutoring service, who provides personal educators, stated that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
He noted that he had moved from Asia to the UK at the time of 7 years old, and had been brought up understanding and embodying both cultures. He continued to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that a single person can act as a representation of UK identity, a person who can somehow transplant the characteristics of a English gentleman upon a one-year-old child, appears optimistic and impractical," he commented.
"Based on my background, employing a quintessentially English tutor from early childhood will not instantly create the result they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to live numerous of the situations they hope for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, self-identity cannot be imposed from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, English culture is something the expert hopes can be instructed – and marketed.
"I think the fact that the world regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
