"A family based in North London is looking for an extraordinary and qualified instructor to assist their youngest child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might easily overlook the wording "beginning" as simple an expression.
However, it could be the most significant aspect of this unusual employment listing, as it seeks to find a teacher for a one-year-old.
Many of submissions have already been received since the unidentified family advertised their request for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the advert has attracted attention in the media, with several questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their hunt, said that notwithstanding early skepticism, he found the idea "visionary", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they appreciated the atypical aspect of their requirement, and how young their son is.
But, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
But what does the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert replied. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the older sibling had picked up "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family explained to him they did not want the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The plan: To bring in a British tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the development at the start here is somewhat absorbed naturally," explained the CEO.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will acquire the English characteristics they want to cultivate.
Adam said the tutor must be someone who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told him the selected educator should preferably also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
More than that though, he stated the family desired the tutor to register the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son grow into a "British gentleman" will lead to success and provide access.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he adds.
However, notwithstanding all this guidance in "English culture", would the child pick up alleged cultural leaning from the international family he lives with anyway?
"Yes", said the CEO. "They realize this may not work, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the tutoring industry who express these doubts.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who provides personal educators, commented that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
The expert explained that he had moved from China to the Britain at the time of 7 years old, and had been educated understanding and practicing dual heritages. He went on to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that an individual can serve as a representation of English culture, a person who can somehow transplant the qualities of a UK sophisticate upon a one-year-old child, appears idealistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"In my experience, having a typically British tutor from infancy will will not instantly produce the result they want.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to experience several of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He added: "The fact is, personal identity should not be forced from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, Britishness is something the CEO thinks can be educated – and sold.
"I believe the reality that the global community views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
