"A family located in North London seeks an remarkable and qualified tutor to assist their smallest child on his first steps to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might easily overlook the phrase "beginning" as just a turn of phrase.
However, it might be the most significant element of this unusual position posting, as it aims to hire a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Many of applications have already been received since the unidentified family posted their call for the highly paid tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the post has gained attention throughout the media, with numerous wondering why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their quest, said that notwithstanding first doubt, he considered the plan "visionary", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unconventional nature of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
However, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural influence had by then become established".
What precisely did the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", he responded. "How you eat, how you speak".
He said the older sibling had picked up "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family told Adam they hoped to prevent history to happen again with their younger child.
The strategy: To bring in a British tutor, who must speak with RP, to guide the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the education at the beginning here is somewhat acquired indirectly," explained the expert.
It's via this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will adopt the UK customs they aim to cultivate.
The consultant said the tutor had to be someone who attended "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Money No Object
The family told the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in equestrian activities, winter sports, creative fields and music so as to influence the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Additionally though, he said the family desired the tutor to register the child on a range of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son grow into a "English gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and provide access.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he comments.
However, in spite of all this instruction in "English culture", could the child adopt alleged cultural influence from the multicultural family he lives with regardless?
"Certainly", replied he. "They know this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as early as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the tutoring industry who share those reservations.
An education leader, head and founder of Blue Education, who provides individual instructors, commented that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
The expert wrote that he had emigrated from the Far East to the UK at the period of 7 years old, and had been brought up understanding and practicing both cultures. He continued to study at Cambridge University.
"The concept that an individual can serve as a embodiment of English culture, someone who can possibly transfer the qualities of a British gentleman upon a one-year-old child, seems to me idealistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"From my perspective, employing a quintessentially British tutor from babyhood will not necessarily achieve the result they want.
"I did not have such a figure, and however I have been fortunate enough to enjoy many of the experiences they hope for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, personal identity can not be dictated from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, UK identity is something the expert believes can be taught – and marketed.
"I believe the situation that the global community views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
