"Parents residing in North London is looking for an exceptional and experienced tutor to guide their most junior child on his initial journey to turning into an English gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might naturally overlook the phrase "beginning" as just figurative language.
But, it could be the crucial element of this unusual position posting, as it seeks to recruit a mentor for a one-year-old.
Many of submissions have since been received since the unidentified family published their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the post has received interest throughout the media, with numerous asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their hunt, explained that despite initial skepticism, he considered the concept "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unusual nature of their request, and how immature their son is.
But, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already taken hold".
But what does the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", he answered. "How you eat, how you speak".
He said the older sibling had adopted "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family informed the consultant they hoped to prevent history to recur with their infant.
The plan: To hire a UK tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the education at the outset here is rather absorbed naturally," said Adam.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will acquire the English characteristics they want to cultivate.
He noted the tutor needed to be someone who attended "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator must be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or passion in equestrian activities, winter sports, artistic pursuits and music so as to shape the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
More than that though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a selection 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 view, guiding their son develop into a "British gentleman" will bring about success and provide access.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he comments.
Yet, in spite of all this instruction in "English culture", could the child pick up what is termed cultural leaning from the multicultural family he lives with anyway?
"Absolutely", said Adam. "The family realize this could fail, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the education sector who have these reservations.
Another CEO, chief executive of Blue Education, who supplies personal educators, stated that "the process of becoming bicultural, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
Peter explained that he had relocated from Asia to the UK at the period of 7 years old, and had been brought up understanding and living two backgrounds. He progressed to study at Cambridge University.
"The idea that a single person can serve as a representation of Britishness, an individual who can in some way transplant the attributes of a British gentleman to a one-year-old child, seems to me optimistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"Based on my background, engaging a distinctly UK tutor from early childhood will not instantly create the outcome they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to live many of the situations they desire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, cultural identity should not be imposed from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, English culture is something Adam thinks can be instructed – and marketed.
"In my view the reality that the global community holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
