"Parents residing in north London seeks an exceptional and qualified instructor to guide their smallest child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might naturally skip the term "beginning" as just figurative language.
However, it might be the most significant element of this unique employment listing, as it attempts to hire a teacher for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of submissions have now been submitted since the anonymous family posted their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the post has attracted notice throughout the news, with several asking why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their quest, stated that despite early doubt, he found the concept "visionary", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they recognized the unconventional aspect of their requirement, and how young their son is.
But, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural bias had already taken hold".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", he replied. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the older sibling had absorbed "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family told the consultant they hoped to prevent history to recur with their younger child.
The plan: To bring in a English tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the learning at the outset here is rather osmotic," said the CEO.
It's through this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will adopt the English characteristics they wish to cultivate.
He said the tutor needed to be someone who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to Adam the selected educator should preferably also have understanding of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
Furthermore though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son become a "British gentleman" will bring about success and provide access.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he comments.
But, in spite of all this tutelage in "UK identity", could the child pick up what is termed cultural influence from the multicultural family he is raised by in any case?
"Absolutely", replied he. "The family realize this could fail, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'we should try and we should start as early as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who share these concerns.
Peter Cui, chief executive of an educational organization, who also offer personal educators, commented that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
The expert wrote that he had moved from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the period of seven, and had been educated understanding and practicing two backgrounds. He progressed to study at Cambridge University.
"The concept that one individual can function as a representation of English culture, an individual who can somehow transfer the qualities of a English gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, seems to me idealistic and unrealistic," he stated.
"In my experience, having a typically English tutor from babyhood will will not instantly produce the result they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and yet I have been lucky enough to live many of the experiences they desire for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, cultural identity should not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Of course, UK identity is something the CEO believes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I believe the reality that the global community holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
