"A household residing in North London is looking for an remarkable and skilled tutor to assist their smallest child on his first steps to becoming an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might readily miss the phrase "beginning" as just figurative language.
Yet, it could be the crucial part of this unusual job advert, as it attempts to hire a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Many of submissions have already been sent in since the anonymous family posted their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the advert has received interest across the media, with many wondering why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their quest, stated that despite initial doubt, he viewed the plan "visionary", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he noted they recognized the unusual character of their demand, and how young their son is.
However, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had by then become established".
What precisely did the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", he replied. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He explained the older sibling had adopted "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family told Adam they did not want the same situation to recur with their infant.
The strategy: To engage a UK tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the learning at the outset here is rather osmotic," explained the expert.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will acquire the English characteristics they aim to impart.
Adam explained the tutor must be an individual who went to "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Money No Object
The family explained to the expert the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or interest in riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and music so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
More than that though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, helping 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 certainly a class statement," he comments.
Yet, notwithstanding all this guidance in "Britishness", would the child adopt what is termed cultural bias from the multicultural family he lives with in any case?
"Yes", said the CEO. "The family know this could fail, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he said.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the private teaching field who express similar concerns.
An education leader, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who provides individual instructors, stated that "the development of embracing two identities, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
He noted that he had relocated from China to the Britain at the time of seven, and had been brought up understanding and embodying two backgrounds. He continued to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that one individual can function as a living vessel of English culture, someone who can possibly impart the attributes of a British gentleman onto a infant child, appears naive and unfeasible," he commented.
"Based on my background, engaging a quintessentially English tutor from early childhood will will not automatically create the outcome they hope for.
"I did not have such a figure, and however I have been privileged enough to enjoy numerous of the situations they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, cultural identity should not be forced from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, English culture is something Adam hopes can be educated – and commercialized.
"In my view the fact that the international society regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
