"Parents located in the northern part of London wants to find an exceptional and qualified instructor to assist their smallest child on his early path to growing into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might readily overlook the wording "beginning" as simple figurative language.
But, it could be the crucial part of this unique employment listing, as it seeks to hire a tutor for a one-year-old.
Numerous of responses have already been sent in since the unidentified family published their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the advert has received interest across the news, with numerous questioning why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their search, stated that in spite of early scepticism, he viewed the plan "visionary", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he noted they appreciated the unconventional aspect of their request, and how early in age their son is.
But, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural influence had by then set in".
But what did the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", he responded. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the elder child had absorbed "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family informed him they wished to avoid this pattern to recur with their new baby.
The strategy: To bring in a British tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the learning at the start here is somewhat acquired indirectly," explained Adam.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will acquire the UK customs they aim to impart.
He explained the tutor must be somebody who studied at "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Money No Object
The family told him the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in equestrian activities, skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a wide range of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he said the family desired the tutor to register the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son develop into a "English gentleman" will bring about achievement and provide access.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he comments.
But, notwithstanding all this instruction in "Britishness", would the child pick up so-called cultural bias from the international family he resides with anyway?
"Yes", said he. "They know this could fail, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as early as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who express similar doubts.
An education leader, head and founder of a tutoring service, who supplies private tutors, commented that "the journey of embracing two identities, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
He noted that he had relocated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the age of seven, and had been educated knowing and living dual heritages. He went on to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that one individual can serve as a living vessel of English culture, a person who can in some way transplant the attributes of a British gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, seems to me naive and impractical," he commented.
"From my perspective, employing a typically UK tutor from infancy will does not necessarily achieve the goal they hope for.
"I did not have such a tutor, and however I have been lucky enough to experience several of the situations they hope for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, self-identity cannot be imposed from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, English culture is something Adam believes can be educated – and commercialized.
"I believe the situation that the global community views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
