"Parents located in North London wants to find an extraordinary and experienced instructor to support their youngest child on his initial journey to growing into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might readily overlook the term "beginning" as simple a turn of phrase.
However, it might be the most significant part of this distinctive position posting, as it seeks to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Many of responses have already been received since the unidentified family advertised their call for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the listing has gained attention in the media, with several questioning why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their hunt, said that despite early scepticism, he viewed the concept "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unconventional nature of their request, and how young their son is.
But, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
But what does the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", Adam replied. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He explained the older sibling had picked up "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family told Adam they wished to avoid the same situation to happen again with their infant.
The strategy: To bring in a British tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the learning at the beginning here is rather absorbed naturally," said Adam.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will adopt the UK customs they want to cultivate.
He noted the tutor had to be someone who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed the expert the selected educator should preferably also have knowledge of or interest in horse riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and music so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
Furthermore though, he explained the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son become a "British gentleman" will lead to achievement and open doors.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he comments.
However, in spite of all this guidance in "English culture", could the child adopt alleged cultural bias from the globally influenced family he is raised by in any case?
"Yes", answered the CEO. "The family understand this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the education sector who share these concerns.
Peter Cui, chief executive of Blue Education, who supplies individual instructors, commented that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
He wrote that he had moved from Asia to the UK at the period of 7 years old, and had been brought up understanding and embodying two backgrounds. He went on to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that a single person can function as a embodiment of Britishness, a person who can in some way impart the characteristics of a British gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, strikes me as idealistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"Based on my background, having a distinctly UK tutor from early childhood will not automatically create the result they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and however I have been lucky enough to experience numerous of the situations they desire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, cultural identity cannot be imposed from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, English culture is something the CEO thinks can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I think the situation that the international society regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
