"A household residing in north London is looking for an extraordinary and skilled tutor to assist their youngest child on his early path to growing into an English gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might easily skip the term "beginning" as just an expression.
But, it might be the most significant aspect of this unusual position posting, as it seeks to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of submissions have since been received since the unnamed family published their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the advert has received attention across the media, with several questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their hunt, said that notwithstanding early skepticism, he considered the plan "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he noted they understood the atypical aspect of their demand, and how young their son is.
But, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had already become established".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", he replied. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He said the older sibling had picked up "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family told him they wished to avoid this pattern to happen again with their younger child.
The plan: To bring in a British tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the learning at the outset here is rather acquired indirectly," said Adam.
It's via this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will pick up the English characteristics they wish to cultivate.
Adam noted the tutor must be somebody who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator must be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to Adam the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in horse riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a diverse set of interests.
More than that though, he stated the family desired the tutor to register the child on a range of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son grow into a "British gentleman" will result in achievement and create opportunities.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he comments.
However, despite all this guidance in "Britishness", might the child adopt alleged cultural bias from the globally influenced family he resides with regardless?
"Yes", answered he. "The family realize this could fail, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as early as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he stated.
Impractical
There are some in the tutoring industry who express those doubts.
Another CEO, chief executive of a tutoring service, who supplies private tutors, wrote that "the process of becoming bicultural, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
He wrote that he had emigrated from China to the UK at the age of childhood, and had been brought up experiencing and embodying dual heritages. He continued to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that a single person can act as a representation of UK identity, a person who can possibly impart the characteristics of a British gentleman to a one-year-old child, strikes me as idealistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"From my perspective, having a quintessentially English tutor from babyhood will does not necessarily create the result they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to live many of the experiences they hope for their son."
He added: "The truth is, cultural identity should not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, Britishness is something the CEO thinks can be taught – and sold.
"I believe the fact that the global community holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
