"Parents based in North London seeks an extraordinary and experienced tutor to guide their youngest child on his initial journey to growing into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might easily overlook the term "beginning" as just figurative language.
But, it might be the crucial part of this distinctive job advert, as it seeks to hire a tutor for a infant.
Many of submissions have already been sent in since the unidentified family advertised their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the post has received attention in the press, with several wondering why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their quest, explained that notwithstanding initial doubt, he viewed the plan "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he said they understood the unconventional nature of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
But, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural bias had by then set in".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", he replied. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the elder child had picked up "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family told Adam they did not want the same situation to happen again with their new baby.
The intention: To engage a British tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to shape the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the education at the beginning here is somewhat acquired indirectly," said Adam.
It's through this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will adopt the UK customs they want to instil.
He said the tutor had to be someone who attended "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed him the selected educator should preferably also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in horse riding, winter sports, the arts and music so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
More than that though, he said the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son become a "English gentleman" will result in accomplishment and open doors.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he comments.
But, despite all this tutelage in "English culture", would the child pick up alleged cultural influence from the multicultural family he resides with in any case?
"Yes", answered the CEO. "The parents understand this could fail, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as quickly as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Impractical
Several in the private teaching field who share these doubts.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who provides individual instructors, wrote that "the process of embracing two identities, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
He noted that he had moved from China to the UK at the period of 7 years old, and had been brought up experiencing and embodying both cultures. He progressed to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that one individual can function as a representation of Britishness, an individual who can possibly impart the characteristics of a UK sophisticate onto a one-year-old child, strikes me as idealistic and unrealistic," he stated.
"From my perspective, having a quintessentially English tutor from babyhood will not automatically create the result they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to enjoy many of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, self-identity cannot be dictated from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Of course, Britishness is something the expert believes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I believe the situation that the global community regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
