"Parents located in North London seeks an exceptional and experienced tutor to guide their smallest child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might easily skip the phrase "beginning" as mere an expression.
However, it may be the most significant part of this distinctive position posting, as it seeks to recruit a teacher for a infant.
Numerous of applications have now been received since the unnamed family posted their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the advert has received interest across the news, with several questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their quest, explained that notwithstanding first doubt, he found the idea "visionary", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he noted they recognized the atypical character of their requirement, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural influence had by then taken hold".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert answered. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the firstborn had absorbed "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family explained to the consultant they wished to avoid the same situation to repeat itself with their younger child.
The intention: To bring in a English tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the education at the outset here is kind of osmotic," stated the CEO.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will adopt the UK customs they want to instil.
He noted the tutor must be someone who studied at "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
Furthermore though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will bring about achievement and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he comments.
But, in spite of all this tutelage in "UK identity", would the child adopt what is termed cultural bias from the international family he lives with in any case?
"Absolutely", replied the CEO. "They know this might not succeed, but they've just taken the view of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he said.
Impractical
A number of in the tutoring industry who have those reservations.
Peter Cui, head and founder of an educational organization, who provides individual instructors, commented that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
The expert noted that he had relocated from the Far East to the UK at the time of childhood, and had been raised understanding and living both cultures. He went on to study at Cambridge University.
"The notion that an individual can act as a representation of Britishness, an individual who can in some way transplant the qualities of a UK sophisticate onto a infant child, strikes me as idealistic and impractical," he stated.
"In my experience, employing a quintessentially English tutor from infancy will will not necessarily produce the goal they want.
"I did not have such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to experience many of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, personal identity cannot be dictated from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the expert believes can be educated – and marketed.
"I believe the fact that the global community regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
