"A family located in north London seeks an extraordinary and qualified tutor to support their smallest child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might easily overlook the wording "beginning" as simple a turn of phrase.
However, it could be the most important aspect of this distinctive job advert, as it seeks to find a teacher for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of responses have already been submitted since the unidentified family posted their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has gained attention in the media, with numerous wondering why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their hunt, said that in spite of early skepticism, he found the concept "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they recognized the unusual nature of their request, and how young their son is.
However, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural bias had already become established".
What exactly does the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", he responded. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the older sibling had absorbed "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family explained to him they hoped to prevent the same situation to happen again with their new baby.
The intention: To hire a English tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the development at the outset here is somewhat acquired indirectly," explained the CEO.
It's via this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will acquire the British traits they want to cultivate.
Adam explained the tutor must be someone who went to "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in riding, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
More than that though, he stated the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a range of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will result in achievement and create opportunities.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he notes.
However, in spite of all this guidance in "UK identity", would the child absorb what is termed cultural leaning from the multicultural family he is raised by anyway?
"Certainly", answered Adam. "The family understand this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the tutoring industry who have these doubts.
An education leader, chief executive of an educational organization, who provides individual instructors, wrote that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
Peter explained that he had emigrated from the Far East to the Britain at the period of 7 years old, and had been brought up knowing and practicing two backgrounds. He went on to study at Cambridge University.
"The idea that an individual can serve as a embodiment of English culture, an individual who can in some way impart the characteristics of a British gentleman to a 12-month-old child, appears idealistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"Based on my background, having a distinctly British tutor from infancy will not automatically achieve the outcome they want.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and however I have been privileged enough to enjoy numerous of the situations they hope for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, self-identity can not be dictated from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, English culture is something the CEO hopes can be instructed – and sold.
"I believe the reality that the international society regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
