"A household located in north London is looking for an extraordinary and experienced instructor to support their smallest child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might easily overlook the term "beginning" as mere an expression.
Yet, it might be the most important aspect of this unusual position posting, as it attempts to find a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Many of submissions have since been received since the anonymous family published their call for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has attracted notice in the news, with numerous wondering why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their hunt, stated that despite early scepticism, he found the concept "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he noted they appreciated the unconventional nature of their demand, and how immature their son is.
But, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already taken hold".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", Adam answered. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the older sibling had picked up "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family told Adam they wished to avoid this pattern to happen again with their infant.
The strategy: To engage a English tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the development at the outset here is kind of absorbed naturally," said Adam.
It's via this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will adopt the British traits they want to cultivate.
He explained the tutor had to be an individual who attended "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to the expert the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, winter sports, creative fields and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Additionally though, he said the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will result in success and provide access.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he notes.
Yet, despite all this guidance in "UK identity", could the child adopt so-called cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he lives with in any case?
"Absolutely", said Adam. "They realize this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'we should try and let's go as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the education sector who share those doubts.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who provides personal educators, stated that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
He wrote that he had emigrated from China to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been brought up understanding and living dual heritages. He went on to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that one individual can function as a representation of UK identity, an individual who can possibly transfer the qualities of a UK sophisticate onto a infant child, seems to me optimistic and impractical," he stated.
"From my perspective, engaging a typically UK tutor from infancy will does not instantly create the goal they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and however I have been privileged enough to live many of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, cultural identity can not be forced from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, UK identity is something Adam hopes can be instructed – and marketed.
"I think the reality that the world holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
