"A family residing in North London is looking for an extraordinary and skilled educator to support their most junior child on his first steps to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might easily skip the wording "beginning" as mere figurative language.
Yet, it might be the crucial element of this unique job advert, as it seeks to hire a teacher for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of responses have now been submitted since the unidentified family advertised their call for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the listing has attracted notice in the media, with several questioning why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, head and founder of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their hunt, stated that in spite of early doubt, he considered the idea "visionary", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they recognized the unconventional character of their demand, and how young their son is.
However, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already set in".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam answered. "How you eat, how you speak".
He explained the older sibling had picked up "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family informed Adam they wished to avoid history to repeat itself with their younger child.
The strategy: To hire a UK tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the development at the start here is somewhat acquired indirectly," explained Adam.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will pick up the English characteristics they aim to instil.
The consultant explained the tutor had to be someone who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed him the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in horse riding, skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a wide range of hobbies.
Additionally though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a range of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son develop into a "British gentleman" will bring about success and provide access.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he notes.
But, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "Britishness", might the child adopt alleged cultural bias from the international family he is raised by regardless?
"Absolutely", replied the CEO. "They know this may not work, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the tutoring industry who have similar concerns.
An education leader, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who provides individual instructors, wrote that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
Peter noted that he had relocated from Asia to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised experiencing and practicing two backgrounds. He went on to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that one individual can function as a embodiment of English culture, a person who can somehow transplant the attributes of a English gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, strikes me as optimistic and impractical," he commented.
"Based on my background, having a quintessentially British tutor from early childhood will will not automatically achieve the goal they hope for.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and however I have been lucky enough to live several of the situations they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, cultural identity should not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, Britishness is something the expert hopes can be taught – and sold.
"I believe the reality that the world regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
