"A household residing in the northern part of London seeks an exceptional and skilled instructor to guide their smallest child on his early path to turning into an English gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might easily overlook the phrase "beginning" as mere figurative language.
But, it may be the most significant part of this distinctive position posting, as it aims to hire a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Many of applications have since been sent in since the unidentified family posted their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the post has attracted interest throughout the media, with several questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their quest, stated that in spite of first doubt, he found the plan "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he said they recognized the atypical nature of their demand, and how young their son is.
However, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already taken hold".
But what did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert answered. "How you eat, how you speak".
He explained the firstborn had picked up "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family informed Adam they wished to avoid history to repeat itself with their infant.
The intention: To engage a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the education at the outset here is rather acquired indirectly," said the CEO.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will acquire the English characteristics they wish to cultivate.
The consultant said the tutor must be an individual who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – 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 doing things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed him the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a wide range of interests.
Furthermore though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a range of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son become a "UK sophisticate" will lead to achievement and provide access.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he notes.
But, in spite of all this instruction in "Britishness", could the child adopt alleged cultural bias from the international family he is raised by anyway?
"Yes", replied Adam. "The parents understand this may not work, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'we should try and we should start as early as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the private teaching field who share those doubts.
Another CEO, head and founder of a tutoring service, who provides personal educators, commented that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
Peter explained that he had moved from the Far East to the UK at the time of seven, and had been brought up understanding and living two backgrounds. He continued to study at Cambridge University.
"The notion that a single person can act as a embodiment of Britishness, a person who can in some way impart the qualities of a English gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, strikes me as optimistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"From my perspective, having a quintessentially UK tutor from babyhood will will not instantly create the result they want.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to experience several of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, personal identity can not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, UK identity is something the expert hopes can be educated – and marketed.
"I think the fact that the global community regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
