"Parents located in North London seeks an remarkable and experienced educator to guide their smallest child on his early path to turning into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might naturally skip the phrase "beginning" as just figurative language.
However, it may be the most important aspect of this unique employment listing, as it attempts to recruit a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Many of applications have already been received since the anonymous family posted their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
In recent few weeks, the listing has gained attention throughout the news, with numerous wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, head and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their hunt, said that notwithstanding first scepticism, he considered the idea "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they understood the unconventional aspect of their demand, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
What precisely did the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", the expert replied. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He explained the elder child had absorbed "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family told the consultant they did not want the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The intention: To bring in a UK tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the development at the beginning here is somewhat osmotic," explained Adam.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will pick up the British traits they aim to impart.
The consultant explained the tutor must be someone who studied at "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to him the chosen tutor should preferably also have knowledge of or passion in riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a wide range of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he explained the family desired the tutor to register the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will lead to accomplishment and open doors.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he comments.
However, despite all this guidance in "English culture", might the child adopt so-called cultural bias from the multicultural family he lives with anyway?
"Certainly", answered the CEO. "The family know this may not work, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he stated.
Impractical
There are some in the private teaching field who have those reservations.
Peter Cui, head and founder of Blue Education, who supplies personal educators, stated that "the development of embracing two identities, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
Peter wrote that he had emigrated from China to the UK at the period of 7 years old, and had been raised understanding and practicing dual heritages. He went on to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that an individual can act as a embodiment of English culture, someone who can somehow transfer the characteristics of a English gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, seems to me naive and impractical," he stated.
"Based on my background, having a distinctly English tutor from babyhood will will not necessarily achieve the result they desire.
"I never had such a figure, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to experience several of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, self-identity cannot be imposed from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, Britishness is something the expert thinks can be taught – and marketed.
"I think the situation that the world holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
