"A family located in North London wants to find an exceptional and qualified instructor to support their youngest child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might readily skip the phrase "beginning" as mere an expression.
But, it may be the crucial element of this distinctive position posting, as it seeks to hire a mentor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of responses have since been submitted since the anonymous family posted their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the listing has attracted notice in the press, with numerous wondering why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their hunt, explained that despite first doubt, he viewed the plan "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he said they appreciated the unusual aspect of their demand, and how young their son is.
However, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already set in".
What exactly does the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", he responded. "How you eat, how you speak".
He explained the elder child had picked up "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family informed the consultant they did not want this pattern to repeat itself with their new baby.
The plan: To hire a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the development at the beginning here is rather acquired indirectly," said Adam.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will pick up the UK customs they want to instil.
The consultant noted the tutor needed to be an individual who went to "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to Adam the successful candidate should preferably also have understanding of or interest in equestrian activities, winter sports, the arts and music so as to shape the child in a wide range of hobbies.
Additionally though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son become a "UK sophisticate" will result in accomplishment and provide access.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he notes.
However, notwithstanding all this guidance in "UK identity", could the child absorb alleged cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he lives with regardless?
"Yes", said he. "The parents understand this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the education sector who have these concerns.
An education leader, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who provides personal educators, wrote that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
The expert noted that he had emigrated from Asia to the Britain at the age of seven, and had been educated experiencing and practicing both cultures. He went on to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that one individual can serve as a living vessel of English culture, someone who can somehow transfer the qualities of a UK sophisticate upon a 12-month-old child, seems to me optimistic and impractical," he commented.
"From my perspective, employing a typically UK tutor from babyhood will will not necessarily create the result they want.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to live numerous of the experiences they hope for their son."
He added: "The reality is, personal identity can not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, UK identity is something the CEO believes can be educated – and marketed.
"I think the reality that the international society regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
