"Parents residing in the northern part of London wants to find an exceptional and qualified educator to guide their smallest child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might readily skip the term "beginning" as just figurative language.
Yet, it could be the most significant aspect of this distinctive position posting, as it attempts to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of responses have already been received since the unnamed family published their call for the highly paid tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the listing has attracted attention throughout the press, with several questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their quest, stated that in spite of first doubt, he viewed the concept "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he noted they appreciated the atypical nature of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had by then taken hold".
But what did the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert responded. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the older sibling had picked up "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family explained to the consultant they did not want this pattern to repeat itself with their younger child.
The strategy: To hire a British tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the education at the outset here is kind of absorbed naturally," said the expert.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will acquire the British traits they want to instil.
The consultant said the tutor needed to be somebody who went to "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Money No Object
The family explained to him the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, creative fields and music so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
Additionally though, he stated the family desired the tutor to sign up 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 minds, assisting their son grow into a "British gentleman" will lead to success and open doors.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he notes.
However, notwithstanding all this instruction in "Britishness", might the child absorb alleged cultural leaning from the international family he lives with in any case?
"Yes", answered Adam. "The parents realize this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'we should try and we should start as quickly as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Impractical
There are some in the education sector who have similar reservations.
An education leader, head and founder of Blue Education, who provides individual instructors, commented that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
He noted that he had moved from China to the United Kingdom at the time of seven, and had been brought up understanding and embodying both cultures. He progressed to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that a single person can act as a living vessel of Britishness, a person who can somehow transplant the attributes of a UK sophisticate to a 12-month-old child, strikes me as optimistic and impractical," he commented.
"In my experience, having a distinctly English tutor from infancy will not automatically create the result they want.
"I did not have such a figure, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to live numerous of the situations they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, self-identity cannot be imposed from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, English culture is something the expert believes can be taught – and sold.
"I think the fact that the global community regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
