"Parents residing in the northern part of London seeks an remarkable and qualified tutor to support their youngest child on his first steps to becoming an English gentleman."
When reading this post, you might readily miss the wording "beginning" as mere an expression.
Yet, it could be the most important aspect of this distinctive employment listing, as it seeks to recruit a mentor for a one-year-old.
Numerous of applications have since been sent in since the unnamed family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted interest throughout the news, with several questioning why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their quest, stated that in spite of first scepticism, he considered the concept "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unconventional nature of their demand, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already set in".
What exactly does the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam replied. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the elder child had absorbed "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family told Adam they did not want history to happen again with their younger child.
The plan: To hire a English tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the education at the beginning here is rather absorbed naturally," said the CEO.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will adopt the British traits they want to impart.
Adam noted the tutor needed to be somebody who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed the expert the chosen tutor should preferably also have knowledge of or interest in riding, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to shape the child in a wide range of hobbies.
Additionally though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a range of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will bring about accomplishment and open doors.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he adds.
Yet, in spite of all this tutelage in "UK identity", could the child pick up so-called cultural bias from the globally influenced family he lives with in any case?
"Absolutely", answered he. "They know this could fail, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the education sector who have similar doubts.
An education leader, chief executive of Blue Education, who supplies personal educators, commented that "the development of embracing two identities, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
The expert wrote that he had relocated from China to the United Kingdom at the time of 7 years old, and had been raised experiencing and practicing two backgrounds. He went on to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that one individual can act as a embodiment of UK identity, someone who can somehow transplant the qualities of a UK sophisticate to a infant child, appears optimistic and impractical," he wrote.
"Based on my background, engaging a quintessentially British tutor from babyhood will will not automatically create the outcome they want.
"I never had such a figure, and however I have been privileged enough to enjoy many of the situations they hope for their son."
He added: "The reality is, personal identity should not be forced from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, Britishness is something Adam hopes can be taught – and commercialized.
"In my view the fact that the world holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
