"A household located in north London seeks an extraordinary and qualified instructor to guide their youngest child on his first steps to turning into an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might readily overlook the wording "beginning" as mere figurative language.
Yet, it could be the crucial element of this unusual position posting, as it aims to hire a teacher for a infant.
Hundreds of responses have now been submitted since the anonymous family posted their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted attention in the press, with several questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their search, explained that in spite of early doubt, he viewed the plan "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he mentioned they recognized the unusual aspect of their demand, and how young their son is.
However, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already become established".
But what did the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", he answered. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the older sibling had absorbed "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family told the consultant they did not want the same situation to happen again with their younger child.
The intention: To hire a English tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the learning at the beginning here is rather osmotic," said the CEO.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will acquire the British traits they aim to impart.
The consultant noted the tutor needed to be an individual who attended "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Money No Object
The family told him the chosen tutor should preferably also have understanding of or passion in equestrian activities, winter sports, creative fields and musical activities so as to shape the child in a wide range of interests.
Additionally though, he said the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will result in achievement and create opportunities.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he notes.
But, in spite of all this instruction in "UK identity", would the child absorb so-called cultural bias from the multicultural family he is raised by regardless?
"Absolutely", answered Adam. "The family understand this may not work, but they've just taken the view of, 'we should try and let's go as soon as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Impractical
There are some in the private teaching field who share these doubts.
An education leader, head and founder of Blue Education, who also offer personal educators, stated that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
Peter noted that he had emigrated from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the time of seven, and had been educated understanding and practicing dual heritages. He progressed to learn at Cambridge University.
"The idea that one individual can serve as a living vessel of English culture, a person who can somehow transplant the characteristics of a UK sophisticate onto a infant child, seems to me optimistic and impractical," he stated.
"Based on my background, having a quintessentially English tutor from infancy will will not necessarily produce the result they desire.
"I never had such a figure, and yet I have been privileged enough to enjoy several of the situations they desire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, cultural identity can not be dictated from the outside; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, English culture is something Adam believes can be taught – and sold.
"I believe the fact that the world holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
