"Parents residing in North London wants to find an extraordinary and experienced instructor to guide their smallest child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might readily overlook the phrase "beginning" as mere an expression.
But, it may be the crucial part of this unusual employment listing, as it seeks to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Many of responses have now been received since the unnamed family posted their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
In recent few weeks, the advert has gained attention throughout the news, with many wondering why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their quest, said that notwithstanding first skepticism, he viewed the plan "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unusual aspect of their request, and how immature their son is.
However, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
What exactly does the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert answered. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He said the elder child had adopted "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family explained to Adam they hoped to prevent this pattern to happen again with their infant.
The strategy: To bring in a UK tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the education at the start here is kind of absorbed naturally," said Adam.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will adopt the English characteristics they wish to impart.
He explained the tutor had to be an individual who went to "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor must be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Money No Object
The family told him the chosen tutor should preferably also have familiarity of or interest in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to inspire the child in a wide range of passions.
More than that though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son grow into a "English gentleman" will lead to success and provide access.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he notes.
However, despite all this guidance in "UK identity", would the child absorb so-called cultural influence from the globally influenced family he resides with regardless?
"Certainly", said the CEO. "The family know this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he explained.
Impractical
Several in the tutoring industry who share these concerns.
Peter Cui, head and founder of an educational organization, who also offer individual instructors, stated that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
He explained that he had relocated from the Far East to the UK at the time of seven, and had been raised understanding and embodying both cultures. He went on to learn at Cambridge University.
"The idea that an individual can act as a representation of UK identity, a person who can somehow transplant the attributes of a English gentleman upon a one-year-old child, appears idealistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"From my perspective, having a typically British tutor from infancy will not necessarily achieve the outcome they want.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to live several of the situations they desire for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, personal identity should not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the expert believes can be educated – and marketed.
"I think the reality that the global community views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
