"A household located in the northern part of London seeks an extraordinary and qualified instructor to support their smallest child on his first steps to turning into an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might easily skip the term "beginning" as simple an expression.
However, it could be the most significant element of this unusual employment listing, as it aims to find a mentor for a infant.
Hundreds of responses have since been submitted since the unidentified family published their call for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the listing has gained notice across the press, with numerous wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their quest, said that in spite of first skepticism, he found the concept "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he noted they appreciated the unusual character of their requirement, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already set in".
What exactly did the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", he responded. "How you eat, how you speak".
He said the firstborn had picked up "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family told him they did not want this pattern to recur with their younger child.
The intention: To engage a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the learning at the beginning here is rather absorbed naturally," said the CEO.
It's via this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will acquire the English characteristics they wish to impart.
He said the tutor had to be somebody who attended "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to him the successful candidate should preferably also have understanding of or interest in horse riding, skiing, the arts and music so as to influence the child in a diverse set of interests.
Furthermore though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son become a "British gentleman" will lead to success and provide access.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he adds.
Yet, despite all this instruction in "Britishness", would the child pick up so-called cultural bias from the international family he lives with anyway?
"Yes", said he. "The parents understand this might not succeed, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who have similar doubts.
Peter Cui, chief executive of an educational organization, who provides personal educators, wrote that "the journey of embracing two identities, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
He noted that he had moved from China to the Britain at the period of 7 years old, and had been educated knowing and embodying both cultures. He continued to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that a single person can serve as a embodiment of English culture, someone who can somehow transfer the characteristics of a British gentleman upon a infant child, strikes me as idealistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"From my perspective, employing a typically British tutor from babyhood will not necessarily achieve the outcome they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to experience many of the experiences they hope for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, personal identity can not be forced from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, Britishness is something the expert hopes can be taught – and sold.
"I believe the situation that the international society regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
