"A family located in North London is looking for an extraordinary and experienced educator to assist their most junior child on his initial journey to growing into an English gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might easily skip the term "beginning" as simple a turn of phrase.
However, it could be the most significant part of this distinctive employment listing, as it aims to hire a mentor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of applications have already been submitted since the anonymous family posted their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the listing has attracted notice throughout the press, with several questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their hunt, said that despite initial skepticism, he considered the concept "visionary", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they recognized the atypical nature of their request, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural bias had by then taken hold".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert answered. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the firstborn had absorbed "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family told him they hoped to prevent the same situation to recur with their younger child.
The plan: To engage a English tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the education at the beginning here is somewhat acquired indirectly," stated Adam.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will acquire the British traits they want to instil.
He explained the tutor had to be an individual who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told him the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or interest in horse riding, skiing, creative fields and music so as to influence the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
More than that though, he stated the family desired the tutor to register the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son become a "English gentleman" will lead to achievement and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he notes.
But, despite all this instruction in "UK identity", might the child pick up what is termed cultural bias from the multicultural family he lives with anyway?
"Absolutely", said he. "They understand this may not work, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the private teaching field who share similar concerns.
Peter Cui, chief executive of an educational organization, who provides personal educators, commented that "the journey of embracing two identities, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
He wrote that he had moved from Asia to the United Kingdom at the time of seven, and had been educated knowing and embodying two backgrounds. He went on to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that a single person can act as a representation of Britishness, a person who can in some way impart the attributes of a British gentleman onto a infant child, appears idealistic and impractical," he commented.
"From my perspective, having a distinctly UK tutor from early childhood will not automatically achieve the goal they desire.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to live several of the situations they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, personal identity cannot be dictated from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be instructed – and marketed.
"I think the reality that the global community holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
