"A family based in the northern part of London wants to find an remarkable and experienced tutor to support their most junior child on his initial journey to becoming an English gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might naturally skip the wording "beginning" as just figurative language.
Yet, it might be the most important part of this distinctive job advert, as it attempts to hire a teacher for a one-year-old.
Many of applications have already been submitted since the unnamed family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has received notice throughout the press, with many wondering why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their search, stated that despite early doubt, he found the idea "visionary", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he said they understood the unusual nature of their request, and how immature their son is.
However, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already become established".
What exactly did the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert responded. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the firstborn had absorbed "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family informed the consultant they hoped to prevent the same situation to repeat itself with their new baby.
The intention: To hire a UK tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the development at the beginning here is rather acquired indirectly," explained the expert.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will acquire the English characteristics they aim to instil.
The consultant noted the tutor had to be somebody who studied at "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told Adam the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a diverse set of passions.
Furthermore though, he stated the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son grow into a "British gentleman" will result in success and provide access.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he adds.
However, despite all this tutelage in "UK identity", could the child pick up what is termed cultural bias from the multicultural family he is raised by in any case?
"Yes", answered the CEO. "The family know this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the private teaching field who share similar reservations.
Peter Cui, chief executive of Blue Education, who supplies private tutors, commented that "the development of embracing two identities, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
He explained that he had emigrated from the Far East to the Britain at the time of seven, and had been educated understanding and embodying two backgrounds. He continued to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that one individual can serve as a representation of English culture, a person who can possibly transplant the attributes of a UK sophisticate onto a infant child, seems to me idealistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"From my perspective, having a typically British tutor from infancy will not automatically produce the result they desire.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to experience many of the situations they hope for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, cultural identity can not be forced from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, UK identity is something Adam thinks can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I think the reality that the world views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
