"Parents located in the northern part of London wants to find an remarkable and experienced tutor to guide their smallest child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might naturally miss the phrase "beginning" as mere an expression.
But, it could be the most significant aspect of this unique position posting, as it aims to find a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Many of responses have now been submitted since the anonymous family published their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the advert has gained notice across the press, with numerous wondering why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their quest, stated that notwithstanding first scepticism, he found the idea "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unconventional aspect of their request, and how young their son is.
However, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already taken hold".
What precisely does the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert replied. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the firstborn had adopted "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family informed him they did not want history to repeat itself with their new baby.
The plan: To bring in a British tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the learning at the beginning here is kind of absorbed naturally," explained Adam.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will adopt the UK customs they wish to cultivate.
The consultant noted the tutor must be someone who studied at "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told him the chosen tutor should preferably also have understanding of or passion in horse riding, skiing, creative fields and music so as to inspire the child in a wide range of interests.
More than that though, he said the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son become a "British gentleman" will bring about success and open doors.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he adds.
Yet, notwithstanding all this instruction in "UK identity", would the child absorb what is termed cultural bias from the international family he is raised by regardless?
"Certainly", answered Adam. "They understand this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as quickly as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the education sector who express these reservations.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who provides personal educators, wrote that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
The expert explained that he had emigrated from China to the UK at the age of seven, and had been educated knowing and practicing two backgrounds. He went on to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that one individual can serve as a living vessel of English culture, an individual who can possibly transfer the characteristics of a UK sophisticate onto a one-year-old child, seems to me optimistic and impractical," he stated.
"Based on my background, engaging a typically UK tutor from infancy will does not instantly achieve the outcome they hope for.
"I never had such a tutor, and however I have been lucky enough to experience many of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, self-identity should not be forced from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, English culture is something the expert thinks can be taught – and commercialized.
"I believe the reality that the world holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
