"Parents residing in North London is looking for an extraordinary and experienced educator to assist their smallest child on his early path to becoming an English gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might easily skip the wording "beginning" as simple a turn of phrase.
However, it may be the most important part of this unusual employment listing, as it seeks to find a teacher for a one-year-old.
Numerous of submissions have already been received since the unnamed family published their call for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the listing has attracted attention throughout the press, with several wondering why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their quest, explained that despite initial doubt, he found the idea "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unconventional aspect of their request, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already become established".
What precisely does the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", he answered. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He said the older sibling had adopted "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family informed the consultant they hoped to prevent this pattern to happen again with their new baby.
The strategy: To bring in a British tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the learning at the start here is somewhat acquired indirectly," stated Adam.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will pick up the UK customs they want to instil.
The consultant said the tutor must be somebody who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Money No Object
The family explained to him the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in horse riding, winter sports, the arts and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Additionally though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a range of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son develop into a "English gentleman" will bring about success and open doors.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he adds.
Yet, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "Britishness", might the child absorb so-called cultural influence from the globally influenced family he lives with regardless?
"Absolutely", replied he. "The parents understand this may not work, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he stated.
Impractical
There are some in the tutoring industry who have those doubts.
An education leader, head and founder of a tutoring service, who supplies private tutors, stated that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
He noted that he had moved from Asia to the United Kingdom at the age of seven, and had been brought up understanding and embodying dual heritages. He continued to learn at Cambridge University.
"The concept that an individual can serve as a embodiment of English culture, a person who can somehow impart the characteristics of a English gentleman onto a infant child, appears naive and impractical," he stated.
"From my perspective, employing a typically English tutor from babyhood will not necessarily achieve the goal they desire.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and however I have been lucky enough to enjoy numerous of the situations they hope for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, personal identity can not be imposed from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, English culture is something the CEO believes can be educated – and sold.
"I think the reality that the international society holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
