"A family residing in north London wants to find an remarkable and experienced educator to support their youngest child on his early path to turning into an English gentleman."
When reading this post, you might readily miss the wording "beginning" as just an expression.
However, it may be the most significant element of this distinctive employment listing, as it aims to hire a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of submissions have already been received since the unidentified family posted their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has gained interest in the news, with many wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their search, stated that in spite of early scepticism, he found the idea "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they understood the unusual aspect of their demand, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already set in".
What precisely did the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", he replied. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He said the elder child had picked up "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family explained to the consultant they did not want history to happen again with their infant.
The intention: To bring in a UK tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the education at the start here is somewhat absorbed naturally," said Adam.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will adopt the English characteristics they want to instil.
Adam explained the tutor needed to be someone who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Money No Object
The family informed him the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in horse riding, alpine skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to influence the child in a diverse set of passions.
More than that though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a range of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son develop into a "English gentleman" will bring about success and open doors.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he adds.
However, in spite of all this guidance in "English culture", could the child adopt so-called cultural leaning from the multicultural family he lives with in any case?
"Absolutely", answered the CEO. "The family understand this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the private teaching field who have similar doubts.
An education leader, head and founder of an educational organization, who supplies personal educators, stated that "the process of embracing two identities, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
He explained that he had emigrated from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the age of seven, and had been brought up knowing and embodying two backgrounds. He continued to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that one individual can serve as a embodiment of English culture, someone who can somehow transplant the characteristics of a British gentleman onto a infant child, strikes me as idealistic and impractical," he stated.
"In my experience, engaging a distinctly English tutor from infancy will does not automatically create the goal they want.
"I never had such a figure, and however I have been lucky enough to live several of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, personal identity cannot be forced from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, English culture is something the CEO hopes can be educated – and sold.
"I think the situation that the international society holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
