"Parents residing in North London is looking for an exceptional and experienced instructor to support their youngest child on his first steps to growing into an British gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might naturally skip the phrase "beginning" as mere an expression.
Yet, it could be the crucial aspect of this unusual job advert, as it aims to find a tutor for a one-year-old.
Many of submissions have now been sent in since the unidentified family published their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the post has attracted attention in the news, with many questioning why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their hunt, explained that despite initial scepticism, he found the concept "visionary", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they appreciated the unconventional aspect of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already become established".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam answered. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the elder child had absorbed "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family explained to the consultant they did not want history to happen again with their younger child.
The strategy: To hire a British tutor, who should speak with RP, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the learning at the start here is somewhat absorbed naturally," explained the expert.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will pick up the British traits they want to impart.
Adam noted the tutor must be someone who attended "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to him the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or passion in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, creative fields and music so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
Furthermore though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son grow into a "British gentleman" will bring about success and open doors.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he comments.
But, in spite of all this instruction in "UK identity", could the child absorb what is termed cultural bias from the multicultural family he is raised by in any case?
"Certainly", said he. "The family understand this may not work, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as early as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he explained.
Impractical
There are some in the tutoring industry who express these doubts.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who also offer individual instructors, wrote that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
The expert wrote that he had moved from China to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised knowing and living two backgrounds. He continued to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that an individual can serve as a living vessel of English culture, someone who can in some way transplant the qualities of a UK sophisticate onto a one-year-old child, seems to me optimistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"Based on my background, employing a quintessentially British tutor from infancy will will not automatically achieve the outcome they want.
"I did not have such a figure, and yet I have been privileged enough to live several of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, self-identity cannot be imposed from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, English culture is something the expert hopes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"In my view the situation that the global community regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
