"A family residing in North London wants to find an extraordinary and skilled instructor to guide their youngest child on his early path to growing into an English gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might readily miss the term "beginning" as just a turn of phrase.
However, it may be the most significant part of this unique employment listing, as it aims to find a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of responses have already been received since the unnamed family posted their search for the highly paid tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the advert has received notice throughout the press, with numerous questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their hunt, said that in spite of first skepticism, he viewed the plan "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he mentioned they understood the atypical character of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural bias had already taken hold".
What exactly does the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", he answered. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the firstborn had adopted "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family told him they hoped to prevent this pattern to happen again with their younger child.
The intention: To bring in a UK tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the education at the start here is kind of absorbed naturally," stated the expert.
It's through this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will adopt the UK customs they wish to impart.
The consultant noted the tutor needed to be an individual who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told the expert the successful candidate should preferably also have understanding of or passion in horse riding, winter sports, the arts and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
Furthermore though, he stated the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, assisting their son become a "English gentleman" will result in success and create opportunities.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he comments.
But, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "English culture", could the child pick up what is termed cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he resides with in any case?
"Certainly", said he. "They know this may not work, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as early as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he stated.
Impractical
A number of in the private teaching field who express these doubts.
Another CEO, head and founder of an educational organization, who also offer private tutors, wrote that "the development of embracing two identities, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
He wrote that he had emigrated from the Far East to the UK at the time of seven, and had been raised understanding and embodying two backgrounds. He progressed to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that an individual can serve as a embodiment of Britishness, an individual who can possibly transfer the attributes of a UK sophisticate upon a infant child, seems to me idealistic and impractical," he commented.
"From my perspective, having a distinctly British tutor from babyhood will does not instantly create the result they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to live numerous of the situations they desire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, self-identity cannot be imposed from the outside; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be educated – and commercialized.
"In my view the situation that the global community views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
