"A family based in the northern part of London is looking for an exceptional and skilled instructor to guide their youngest child on his early path to turning into an English gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might naturally miss the wording "beginning" as just an expression.
However, it might be the most significant part of this unique position posting, as it attempts to hire a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Many of responses have now been sent in since the unnamed family published their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has gained attention across the news, with many questioning why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, chief executive of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their hunt, explained that despite initial doubt, he viewed the idea "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they understood the atypical character of their demand, and how young their son is.
However, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already set in".
What precisely did the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", he replied. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the older sibling had picked up "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family informed Adam they hoped to prevent this pattern to repeat itself with their infant.
The plan: To hire a UK tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the learning at the outset here is kind of acquired indirectly," said the expert.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will acquire the English characteristics they aim to cultivate.
The consultant explained the tutor had to be someone who attended "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Money No Object
The family informed the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in horse riding, skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Additionally though, he said the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son develop into a "British gentleman" will result in accomplishment and open doors.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he comments.
However, despite all this instruction in "English culture", might the child adopt what is termed cultural influence from the globally influenced family he resides with regardless?
"Absolutely", replied he. "The family understand this could fail, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the private teaching field who express similar reservations.
Another CEO, head and founder of Blue Education, who provides private tutors, commented that "the process of embracing two identities, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
He wrote that he had relocated from China to the Britain at the period of seven, and had been raised understanding and practicing two backgrounds. He continued to learn at Cambridge University.
"The idea that one individual can act as a embodiment of English culture, someone who can in some way impart the characteristics of a British gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, strikes me as optimistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"Based on my background, having a quintessentially English tutor from early childhood will not automatically produce the result they want.
"I did not have such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to experience several of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, self-identity should not be forced from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, English culture is something the CEO believes can be instructed – and sold.
"In my view the situation that the international society regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
