"A family residing in North London wants to find an remarkable and skilled educator to assist their youngest child on his initial journey to turning into an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might naturally skip the term "beginning" as just a turn of phrase.
But, it might be the most important part of this distinctive position posting, as it aims to hire a tutor for a infant.
Hundreds of responses have now been sent in since the anonymous family published their call for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has received attention across the press, with numerous wondering why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their search, stated that notwithstanding initial skepticism, he viewed the plan "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he said they understood the unconventional character of their demand, and how young their son is.
However, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural bias had already taken hold".
What precisely does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", he replied. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the elder child had adopted "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family told the consultant they hoped to prevent the same situation to happen again with their infant.
The intention: To bring in a UK tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the development at the outset here is somewhat osmotic," explained the CEO.
It's via this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will acquire the English characteristics they want to cultivate.
He said the tutor had to be somebody who attended "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Money No Object
The family informed him the chosen tutor should preferably also have knowledge of or interest in equestrian activities, skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
More than that though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son become a "English gentleman" will lead to success and create opportunities.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he notes.
Yet, notwithstanding all this instruction in "English culture", could the child absorb what is termed cultural bias from the globally influenced family he is raised by regardless?
"Absolutely", answered Adam. "The family understand this could fail, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the education sector who have those reservations.
An education leader, chief executive of Blue Education, who provides personal educators, wrote that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
He explained that he had relocated from China to the Britain at the time of seven, and had been educated understanding and living two backgrounds. He went on to study at Cambridge University.
"The notion that one individual can function as a living vessel of UK identity, an individual who can somehow impart the qualities of a English gentleman to a 12-month-old child, appears naive and unrealistic," he wrote.
"From my perspective, employing a quintessentially English tutor from early childhood will does not instantly create the result they desire.
"I never had such a figure, and however I have been lucky enough to enjoy many of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, cultural identity cannot be forced from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, UK identity is something Adam believes can be educated – and sold.
"I believe the fact that the world views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
