"Parents residing in north London wants to find an extraordinary and qualified educator to guide their youngest child on his first steps to turning into an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might naturally miss the wording "beginning" as mere figurative language.
But, it may be the most important part of this unique job advert, as it attempts to recruit a mentor for a infant.
Hundreds of applications have since been submitted since the unnamed family advertised their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted interest across the press, with many questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their hunt, explained that in spite of initial skepticism, he considered the concept "visionary", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he noted they recognized the atypical character of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
But, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already taken hold".
What precisely does the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam answered. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the firstborn had absorbed "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family explained to the consultant they wished to avoid history to happen again with their infant.
The strategy: To hire a British tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the learning at the beginning here is rather acquired indirectly," stated Adam.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will acquire the UK customs they wish to cultivate.
The consultant noted the tutor must be somebody who attended "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator must be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Money No Object
The family explained to him the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or passion in horse riding, winter sports, the arts and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a wide range of passions.
Additionally though, he said the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son develop into a "British gentleman" will result in achievement and create opportunities.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he adds.
Yet, despite all this instruction in "Britishness", could the child absorb so-called cultural bias from the international family he is raised by regardless?
"Absolutely", said he. "The family know this could fail, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'we should try and we should start as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he said.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the private teaching field who have those concerns.
Another CEO, chief executive of a tutoring service, who supplies individual instructors, commented that "the development of becoming bicultural, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
The expert wrote that he had relocated from China to the Britain at the age of childhood, and had been raised knowing and embodying both cultures. He went on to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that one individual can function as a embodiment of Britishness, someone who can in some way transplant the qualities of a UK sophisticate upon a one-year-old child, seems to me optimistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"Based on my background, having a quintessentially British tutor from early childhood will will not instantly produce the outcome they desire.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to live many of the experiences they desire for their son."
He stated: "The reality is, self-identity should not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Of course, Britishness is something the expert thinks can be instructed – and marketed.
"I believe the reality that the international society regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
