"A household located in North London wants to find an extraordinary and qualified educator to support their youngest child on his first steps to becoming an English gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might naturally overlook the wording "beginning" as simple a turn of phrase.
But, it could be the crucial element of this unusual employment listing, as it seeks to recruit a tutor for a infant.
Hundreds of responses have now been received since the unidentified family posted their search for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted attention in the news, with many wondering why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their search, stated that in spite of first skepticism, he considered the concept "visionary", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he noted they appreciated the unconventional aspect of their request, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural bias had already set in".
But what did the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam answered. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He said the older sibling had picked up "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family explained to the consultant they wished to avoid this pattern to recur with their younger child.
The plan: To hire a British tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the learning at the outset here is somewhat absorbed naturally," explained the expert.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will adopt the British traits they aim to impart.
Adam noted the tutor needed to be somebody who attended "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in horse riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
More than that though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a range of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son become a "UK sophisticate" will lead to success and provide access.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he notes.
Yet, despite all this guidance in "UK identity", would the child pick up so-called cultural influence from the multicultural family he is raised by anyway?
"Absolutely", replied he. "The parents know this may not work, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as early as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the education sector who share similar doubts.
An education leader, chief executive of an educational organization, who also offer individual instructors, wrote that "the development of becoming bicultural, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
Peter noted that he had emigrated from China to the UK at the period of seven, and had been raised understanding and embodying dual heritages. He continued to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that a single person can act as a living vessel of UK identity, someone who can somehow transfer the qualities of a British gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, seems to me naive and impractical," he wrote.
"Based on my background, having a quintessentially English tutor from early childhood will will not automatically achieve the result they want.
"I did not have such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to live several of the experiences they desire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, self-identity cannot be imposed from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, English culture is something the expert believes can be educated – and sold.
"I think the situation that the world holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
