"A household residing in North London seeks an exceptional and qualified educator to guide their most junior child on his early path to turning into an English gentleman."
When reading this post, you might naturally overlook the wording "beginning" as just figurative language.
Yet, it may be the most significant part of this unusual job advert, as it aims to recruit a mentor for a infant.
Numerous of applications have since been received since the anonymous family published their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the post has gained interest across the news, with numerous questioning why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their quest, said that despite first skepticism, he viewed the plan "visionary", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they understood the unconventional nature of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
However, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural influence had by then set in".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", Adam replied. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the older sibling had picked up "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family explained to Adam they wished to avoid the same situation to recur with their new baby.
The strategy: To bring in a UK tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the learning at the beginning here is rather absorbed naturally," stated the expert.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will adopt the UK customs they want to impart.
The consultant noted the tutor must be somebody who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or passion in horse riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of interests.
Furthermore though, he said the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a range of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son develop into a "English gentleman" will lead to success and provide access.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he notes.
However, in spite of all this guidance in "UK identity", could the child adopt alleged cultural influence from the globally influenced family he lives with regardless?
"Yes", replied Adam. "The family know this may not work, but they've simply adopted 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 explained.
Impractical
Several in the tutoring industry who express similar doubts.
Peter Cui, chief executive of a tutoring service, who provides personal educators, commented that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
Peter wrote that he had moved from the Far East to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised understanding and living both cultures. He continued to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that a single person can function as a representation of UK identity, someone who can somehow transplant the attributes of a British gentleman onto a infant child, strikes me as naive and unfeasible," he stated.
"In my experience, engaging a distinctly British tutor from infancy will not instantly produce the outcome they hope for.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and yet I have been privileged enough to enjoy numerous of the experiences they desire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, personal identity should not be forced from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, Britishness is something Adam hopes can be instructed – and marketed.
"I believe the situation that the global community views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
