"A family residing in the northern part of London is looking for an exceptional and experienced educator to support their most junior child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might naturally overlook the phrase "beginning" as simple figurative language.
However, it may be the crucial part of this unusual position posting, as it attempts to recruit a mentor for a infant.
Many of submissions have already been submitted since the unnamed family advertised their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the post has gained notice in the press, with numerous questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their hunt, stated that in spite of first doubt, he considered the concept "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he said they understood the atypical aspect of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
But what did the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam answered. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He said the older sibling had picked up "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family informed him they wished to avoid the same situation to recur with their infant.
The intention: To engage a British tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the development at the beginning here is kind of acquired indirectly," explained the expert.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will pick up the British traits they want to cultivate.
The consultant noted the tutor must be somebody who studied at "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in riding, winter sports, the arts and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a wide range of interests.
Furthermore though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will result in achievement and provide access.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he adds.
However, in spite of all this instruction in "English culture", might the child pick up alleged cultural leaning from the international family he lives with regardless?
"Absolutely", replied he. "The family understand this could fail, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he said.
Impractical
There are some in the private teaching field who express similar doubts.
An education leader, head and founder of Blue Education, who supplies individual instructors, stated that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
The expert wrote that he had emigrated from China to the Britain at the time of 7 years old, and had been raised understanding and living dual heritages. He continued to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that one individual can serve as a living vessel of UK identity, a person who can somehow transplant the attributes of a English gentleman onto a infant child, appears naive and unfeasible," he stated.
"Based on my background, employing a quintessentially English tutor from early childhood will will not instantly achieve the outcome they desire.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to live numerous of the experiences they desire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, self-identity should not be imposed from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, UK identity is something the CEO thinks can be educated – and marketed.
"I think the fact that the world holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
