"Parents residing in North London wants to find an extraordinary and skilled instructor to support their youngest child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might naturally skip the term "beginning" as mere a turn of phrase.
Yet, it might be the most important part of this unique position posting, as it aims to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of submissions have already been sent in since the unidentified family published their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the post has attracted interest across the press, with many questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their search, said that despite first doubt, he considered the concept "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he noted they recognized the atypical character of their request, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already set in".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam replied. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the elder child had adopted "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family told him they did not want history to repeat itself with their new baby.
The plan: To hire a English tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the education at the beginning here is somewhat osmotic," explained the expert.
It's through this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will adopt the English characteristics they want to instil.
He said the tutor must be an individual who studied at "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Money No Object
The family informed Adam the successful candidate should preferably also have familiarity of or interest in horse riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a wide range of passions.
Additionally though, he explained the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a range of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, assisting their son develop into a "British gentleman" will lead to achievement and create opportunities.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he adds.
Yet, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "UK identity", might the child pick up so-called cultural influence from the multicultural family he lives with regardless?
"Certainly", replied the CEO. "The family know this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he stated.
Impractical
There are some in the tutoring industry who express similar reservations.
Peter Cui, chief executive of Blue Education, who also offer private tutors, commented that "the process of becoming bicultural, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
Peter noted that he had moved from China to the UK at the period of seven, and had been educated experiencing and practicing two backgrounds. He continued to study at Cambridge University.
"The idea that one individual can serve as a representation of UK identity, an individual who can possibly impart the attributes of a British gentleman to a infant child, strikes me as naive and impractical," he commented.
"Based on my background, engaging a distinctly UK tutor from infancy will not necessarily create the result they want.
"I did not have such a tutor, and however I have been fortunate enough to experience many of the experiences they desire for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, self-identity can not be dictated from the outside; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, Britishness is something the expert thinks can be instructed – and marketed.
"In my view the situation that the international society regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
