"A household based in the northern part of London seeks an exceptional and experienced instructor to guide their most junior child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might easily overlook the term "beginning" as simple an expression.
However, it may be the most significant element of this unique position posting, as it aims to recruit a tutor for a one-year-old.
Many of responses have since been received since the unidentified family advertised their request for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
In recent few weeks, the advert has received attention in the news, with numerous wondering why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, head and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their search, stated that despite initial scepticism, he found the plan "visionary", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he said they appreciated the unusual character of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
But, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural influence had by then set in".
What precisely did the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam answered. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He explained the elder child had picked up "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family explained to him they wished to avoid this pattern to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To bring in a UK tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the education at the start here is rather acquired indirectly," said the CEO.
It's through this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will pick up the English characteristics they aim to impart.
Adam explained the tutor had to be someone who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor must be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in horse riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to shape the child in a wide range of interests.
More than that though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of courses 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 minds, assisting their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will bring about success and provide access.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he notes.
But, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "UK identity", might the child adopt so-called cultural leaning from the multicultural family he is raised by in any case?
"Absolutely", said he. "They understand this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he stated.
Impractical
There are some in the education sector who share these reservations.
Another CEO, chief executive of a tutoring service, who supplies personal educators, commented that "the process of becoming bicultural, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
Peter noted that he had moved from Asia to the United Kingdom at the time of seven, and had been educated knowing and practicing two backgrounds. He continued to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that one individual can serve as a living vessel of English culture, a person who can somehow transfer the characteristics of a British gentleman to a one-year-old child, seems to me idealistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"In my experience, employing a quintessentially English tutor from infancy will does not instantly produce the result they hope for.
"I did not have such a figure, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to experience many of the experiences they desire for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, cultural identity can not be imposed from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the CEO thinks can be instructed – and marketed.
"In my view the fact that the international society views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
