"A household located in north London is looking for an extraordinary and experienced educator to support their youngest child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might readily miss the phrase "beginning" as just figurative language.
Yet, it might be the crucial aspect of this distinctive job advert, as it attempts to find a tutor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of submissions have since been submitted since the unidentified family posted their call for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has received notice in the media, with several questioning why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their hunt, explained that in spite of first skepticism, he considered the plan "visionary", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he said they recognized the atypical character of their request, and how early in age their son is.
But, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already set in".
What precisely did the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", he answered. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the elder child had picked up "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family explained to him they hoped to prevent this pattern to repeat itself with their younger child.
The intention: To engage a British tutor, who must 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," explained Adam.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will pick up the British traits they want to impart.
Adam explained the tutor had to be someone who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to the expert the selected educator should preferably also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in riding, skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
More than that though, he said the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, assisting their son become a "British gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and provide access.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he notes.
However, in spite of all this instruction in "English culture", would the child absorb alleged cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he is raised by anyway?
"Certainly", answered the CEO. "They understand this could fail, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'we should try and we should start as soon as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he stated.
Impractical
Several in the private teaching field who have similar reservations.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who also offer private tutors, wrote that "the development of embracing two identities, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
Peter explained that he had moved from the Far East to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been brought up knowing and living both cultures. He progressed to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that a single person can act as a living vessel of Britishness, a person who can possibly transplant the qualities of a UK sophisticate onto a 12-month-old child, seems to me optimistic and unrealistic," he stated.
"From my perspective, employing a quintessentially UK tutor from babyhood will does not instantly create the outcome they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and however I have been fortunate enough to enjoy several of the situations they hope for their son."
He added: "The truth is, personal identity should not be forced from the outside; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be educated – and commercialized.
"In my view the fact that the international society holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
