"Parents located in north London wants to find an exceptional and qualified educator to guide their youngest child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might naturally overlook the phrase "beginning" as simple an expression.
But, it may be the most significant aspect of this unique position posting, as it seeks to recruit a mentor for a infant.
Many of applications have already been submitted since the unnamed family advertised their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the post has received interest throughout the press, with many questioning why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, head and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their quest, said that despite initial doubt, he considered the plan "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he said they appreciated the unconventional aspect of their request, and how young their son is.
However, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural influence had by then become established".
But what does the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", the expert answered. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the elder child had picked up "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family told Adam they did not want the same situation to happen again with their younger child.
The strategy: To bring in a British tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the development at the outset here is rather osmotic," said the CEO.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will acquire the British traits they want to instil.
He noted the tutor had to be someone who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – 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 carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in riding, alpine skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of interests.
More than that though, he said the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son develop into a "English gentleman" will bring about success and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he notes.
Yet, despite all this instruction in "English culture", might the child adopt alleged cultural leaning from the multicultural family he is raised by anyway?
"Absolutely", said Adam. "The parents know this could fail, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as early as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he stated.
Impractical
Several in the education sector who share similar reservations.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who supplies personal educators, commented that "the journey of embracing two identities, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
He wrote that he had relocated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised knowing and living two backgrounds. He continued to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that one individual can function as a representation of UK identity, someone who can in some way transfer the qualities of a English gentleman to a infant child, appears idealistic and impractical," he commented.
"From my perspective, employing a quintessentially English tutor from early childhood will not necessarily produce the result they want.
"I never had such a tutor, and however I have been privileged enough to experience several of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, personal identity can not be dictated from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, Britishness is something the expert thinks can be instructed – and commercialized.
"In my view the situation that the world holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
