"Parents located in the northern part of London is looking for an remarkable and qualified educator to assist their most junior child on his first steps to becoming an British gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might easily overlook the term "beginning" as simple an expression.
However, it might be the most important aspect of this unique position posting, as it seeks to find a tutor for a infant.
Hundreds of responses have since been sent in since the unidentified family posted their call for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the post has received attention throughout the press, with many wondering why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their quest, explained that despite early skepticism, he found the concept "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they appreciated the atypical character of their request, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already become established".
What precisely does the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", he responded. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the elder child had adopted "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family explained to Adam they hoped to prevent the same situation to happen again with their infant.
The plan: To engage a British tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the learning at the beginning here is kind of absorbed naturally," said the CEO.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will adopt the English characteristics they want to instil.
The consultant noted the tutor had to be somebody who went to "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in horse riding, skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
More than that though, he explained the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will result in success and provide access.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he adds.
However, in spite of all this guidance in "English culture", might the child adopt so-called cultural influence from the globally influenced family he is raised by in any case?
"Certainly", answered he. "The family know this may not work, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'we should try and we should start as soon as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he said.
Impractical
A number of in the education sector who express similar reservations.
Another CEO, chief executive of a tutoring service, who provides personal educators, wrote that "the development of embracing two identities, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
The expert noted that he had relocated from China to the United Kingdom at the age of childhood, and had been brought up understanding and living dual heritages. He progressed to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that a single person can function as a embodiment of Britishness, an individual who can somehow transfer the qualities of a UK sophisticate onto a one-year-old child, seems to me optimistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"Based on my background, employing a distinctly English tutor from babyhood will will not automatically achieve the outcome they want.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to experience several of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, cultural identity should not be forced from the outside; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, English culture is something the expert thinks can be instructed – and commercialized.
"In my view the fact that the international society regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
