"A family located in North London wants to find an remarkable and qualified educator to guide their smallest child on his early path to growing into an English gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might easily skip the phrase "beginning" as simple a turn of phrase.
Yet, it might be the crucial part of this unique employment listing, as it seeks to find a tutor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of applications have since been received since the unidentified family published their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has attracted notice across the media, with numerous wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their hunt, said that notwithstanding initial skepticism, he found the idea "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he mentioned they understood the unusual nature of their request, and how young their son is.
However, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already set in".
What exactly does the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", he responded. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He explained the firstborn had absorbed "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family told the consultant they did not want this pattern to recur with their new baby.
The plan: To bring in a UK tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the learning at the outset here is rather acquired indirectly," said Adam.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will acquire the English characteristics they want to cultivate.
He noted the tutor must be an individual who studied at "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to Adam the successful candidate should preferably also have knowledge of or passion in equestrian activities, skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of passions.
Furthermore though, he explained the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will bring about success and open doors.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he comments.
However, in spite of all this instruction in "UK identity", would the child pick up alleged cultural influence from the globally influenced family he resides with anyway?
"Certainly", said he. "They understand this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the private teaching field who share these concerns.
An education leader, chief executive of an educational organization, who provides individual instructors, commented that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
He wrote that he had emigrated from China to the UK at the period of 7 years old, and had been brought up knowing and embodying dual heritages. He progressed to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The concept that one individual can serve as a embodiment of UK identity, someone who can in some way transfer the qualities of a English gentleman upon a infant child, strikes me as idealistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"Based on my background, having a quintessentially English tutor from babyhood will does not instantly create the result they want.
"I did not have such a figure, and however I have been privileged enough to enjoy many of the situations they desire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, personal identity can not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, UK identity is something the expert believes can be taught – and sold.
"I think the situation that the world views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
