"A family located in the northern part of London seeks an remarkable and qualified instructor to guide their smallest child on his first steps to growing into an British gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might easily overlook the wording "beginning" as mere figurative language.
But, it may be the most important element of this distinctive position posting, as it attempts to find a teacher for a one-year-old.
Many of submissions have already been received since the unnamed family advertised their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the listing has received notice in the press, with several wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their search, stated that in spite of early scepticism, he viewed the idea "visionary", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he noted they recognized the atypical character of their demand, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already set in".
But what did the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert answered. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He said the elder child had absorbed "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family informed him they hoped to prevent history to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To hire a British tutor, who must speak with RP, to shape the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the education at the start here is kind of osmotic," said Adam.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will pick up the UK customs they aim to cultivate.
The consultant noted the tutor had to be someone who went to "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to him the successful candidate should ideally also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in riding, winter sports, the arts and musical activities so as to influence the child in a wide range of interests.
More than that though, he said the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son develop into a "English gentleman" will result in achievement and open doors.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he adds.
Yet, notwithstanding all this guidance in "Britishness", could the child pick up so-called cultural bias from the multicultural family he is raised by anyway?
"Absolutely", answered Adam. "They know this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'we should try and we should start as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the private teaching field who express these reservations.
Another CEO, head and founder of an educational organization, who supplies personal educators, commented that "the process of becoming bicultural, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
He noted that he had relocated from Asia to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised understanding and embodying both cultures. He continued to study at Cambridge University.
"The idea that one individual can serve as a embodiment of Britishness, someone who can somehow transfer the characteristics of a English gentleman to a one-year-old child, appears optimistic and impractical," he commented.
"From my perspective, engaging a quintessentially UK tutor from infancy will not instantly create the goal they want.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to live many of the situations they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, self-identity cannot be forced from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the expert believes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I believe the fact that the world regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
