"A household residing in north London is looking for an extraordinary and qualified tutor to guide their most junior child on his initial journey to growing into an English gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might readily miss the wording "beginning" as simple an expression.
However, it might be the most important part of this unique position posting, as it aims to hire a tutor for a one-year-old.
Many of submissions have already been sent in since the unnamed family published their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has received attention throughout the media, with numerous wondering why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their hunt, said that in spite of early skepticism, he viewed the concept "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he said they understood the unconventional character of their request, and how early in age their son is.
However, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural influence had by then taken hold".
What precisely does the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam responded. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He stated the older sibling had picked up "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family informed him they hoped to prevent the same situation to repeat itself with their new baby.
The plan: To bring in a British tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the development at the outset here is rather acquired indirectly," said the CEO.
It's via this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will adopt the English characteristics they wish to cultivate.
The consultant explained the tutor needed to be an individual who went to "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told him the successful candidate should preferably also have familiarity of or interest in horse riding, skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Additionally though, he stated the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son develop into a "British gentleman" will result in accomplishment and open doors.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he comments.
However, despite all this tutelage in "English culture", might the child absorb what is termed cultural bias from the multicultural family he is raised by regardless?
"Absolutely", answered Adam. "The parents know this could fail, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he said.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who express similar reservations.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer private tutors, wrote that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
He noted that he had relocated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the age of childhood, and had been brought up understanding and living two backgrounds. He progressed to learn at Cambridge University.
"The concept that a single person can function as a representation of UK identity, an individual who can possibly transplant the qualities of a English gentleman onto a one-year-old child, appears naive and unfeasible," he stated.
"In my experience, having a quintessentially UK tutor from early childhood will does not necessarily create the outcome they hope for.
"I never had such a figure, and yet I have been privileged enough to live several of the experiences they hope for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, personal identity cannot be forced from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Of course, Britishness is something the expert hopes can be educated – and marketed.
"I believe the situation that the world holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
