"A family residing in north London wants to find an exceptional and experienced tutor to guide their most junior child on his first steps to becoming an English gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might easily skip the term "beginning" as simple a turn of phrase.
But, it may be the crucial aspect of this unique employment listing, as it aims to hire a tutor for a infant.
Many of responses have already been submitted since the unnamed family published their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the post has received notice in the media, with several questioning why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, chief executive of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their hunt, explained that despite early skepticism, he considered the idea "visionary", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he said they recognized the unconventional aspect of their request, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already set in".
What precisely does the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", he responded. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the elder child had absorbed "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family told him they hoped to prevent the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The intention: To hire a English tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the education at the start here is somewhat absorbed naturally," stated Adam.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will adopt the British traits they want to instil.
The consultant noted the tutor must be somebody who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told him the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or passion in riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to inspire the child in a wide range of interests.
Furthermore though, he stated the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son grow into a "English gentleman" will bring about success and open doors.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he adds.
However, in spite of all this guidance in "English culture", would the child pick up alleged cultural leaning from the international family he lives with regardless?
"Yes", answered Adam. "The parents understand this may not work, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'we should try and we should start as early as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the education sector who express these doubts.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who supplies personal educators, stated that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
The expert wrote that he had moved from China to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been brought up understanding and living both cultures. He went on to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that a single person can serve as a embodiment of UK identity, someone who can possibly impart the qualities of a British gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, appears optimistic and impractical," he wrote.
"From my perspective, having a distinctly UK tutor from early childhood will will not necessarily achieve the goal they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to enjoy many of the situations they desire for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, cultural identity should not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, Britishness is something the CEO thinks can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I believe the reality that the world views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
