"A household residing in north London is looking for an exceptional and experienced instructor to support their most junior child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might easily overlook the term "beginning" as just an expression.
Yet, it could be the most important element of this unique position posting, as it attempts to hire a mentor for a one-year-old.
Many of submissions have already been submitted since the unnamed family published their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the post has attracted interest in the media, with many questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, chief executive of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their quest, explained that despite early scepticism, he considered the idea "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he said they understood the unconventional character of their request, and how immature their son is.
However, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already taken hold".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam responded. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He stated the elder child had picked up "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family informed him they wished to avoid the same situation to recur with their infant.
The strategy: To hire a British tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the development at the start here is rather acquired indirectly," explained Adam.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will acquire the UK customs they want to cultivate.
The consultant explained the tutor had to be someone who attended "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told him the successful candidate should preferably also have knowledge of or interest in horse riding, skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Additionally though, he stated the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a range of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son become a "British gentleman" will bring about achievement and create opportunities.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he notes.
Yet, notwithstanding all this guidance in "English culture", would the child absorb so-called cultural bias from the globally influenced family he resides with in any case?
"Absolutely", said Adam. "They know this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'we should try and we should start as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he said.
Impractical
There are some in the private teaching field who have these concerns.
An education leader, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who provides personal educators, commented that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
The expert explained that he had moved from the Far East to the UK at the period of seven, and had been educated experiencing and practicing both cultures. He went on to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that a single person can serve as a representation of Britishness, a person who can in some way transplant the attributes of a UK sophisticate to a 12-month-old child, appears naive and unfeasible," he stated.
"In my experience, engaging a distinctly British tutor from infancy will not necessarily produce the goal they hope for.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and yet I have been privileged enough to live several of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He added: "The fact is, self-identity can not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, Britishness is something the CEO believes can be instructed – and sold.
"I believe the situation that the global community regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
