"A family residing in north London seeks an extraordinary and experienced tutor to guide their most junior child on his initial journey to turning into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might easily miss the phrase "beginning" as mere a turn of phrase.
But, it may be the most important element of this unique position posting, as it attempts to recruit a mentor for a infant.
Hundreds of responses have since been sent in since the anonymous family posted their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the advert has gained attention across the press, with numerous wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their quest, said that in spite of initial skepticism, he found the idea "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he said they appreciated the atypical character of their demand, and how young their son is.
But, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already become established".
What exactly does the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", the expert answered. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the older sibling had adopted "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family told him they hoped to prevent this pattern to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To hire a English tutor, who must speak with RP, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the learning at the outset here is somewhat acquired indirectly," stated Adam.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will acquire the British traits they wish to cultivate.
Adam explained the tutor needed to be someone who studied at "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Money No Object
The family explained to Adam the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
More than that though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son develop into a "British gentleman" will result in success and open doors.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he notes.
However, despite all this guidance in "English culture", would the child absorb so-called cultural leaning from the international family he is raised by regardless?
"Yes", said Adam. "The family know this could fail, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as soon as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the education sector who express those doubts.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who supplies personal educators, wrote that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
He wrote that he had relocated from China to the United Kingdom at the period of 7 years old, and had been raised understanding and embodying dual heritages. He continued to learn at Cambridge University.
"The concept that a single person can serve as a living vessel of Britishness, an individual who can in some way transplant the qualities of a English gentleman onto a infant child, strikes me as optimistic and impractical," he commented.
"From my perspective, engaging a quintessentially English tutor from infancy will will not automatically produce the goal they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and yet I have been lucky enough to live several of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, cultural identity should not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, UK identity is something the expert thinks can be educated – and marketed.
"I think the reality that the international society holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
