"A family residing in North London wants to find an remarkable and qualified instructor to guide their youngest child on his first steps to turning into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might naturally miss the wording "beginning" as simple figurative language.
Yet, it might be the most important element of this unusual job advert, as it attempts to hire a tutor for a one-year-old.
Many of responses have already been submitted since the unidentified family published 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 notice in the press, with several wondering why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their quest, said that in spite of first skepticism, he considered the concept "visionary", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they understood the unconventional aspect of their request, and how immature their son is.
However, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already set in".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", he answered. "How you eat, the manner 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 wished to avoid the same situation to recur with their new baby.
The plan: To engage a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the development at the beginning here is somewhat osmotic," stated the expert.
It's through this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will adopt the English characteristics they aim to instil.
He said the tutor must be someone who went to "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Money No Object
The family informed the expert the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in horse riding, winter sports, creative fields and musical activities so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Additionally though, he said the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son become a "UK sophisticate" will lead to achievement and provide access.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he adds.
But, notwithstanding all this guidance in "UK identity", could the child adopt alleged cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he resides with regardless?
"Certainly", said the CEO. "The family realize this may not work, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as soon as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the private teaching field who have those reservations.
Peter Cui, head and founder of an educational organization, who also offer individual instructors, wrote that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
He noted that he had relocated from China to the Britain at the period of childhood, and had been brought up knowing and living both cultures. He went on to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that one individual can act as a living vessel of UK identity, a person who can in some way transfer the attributes of a English gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, seems to me naive and unrealistic," he wrote.
"From my perspective, engaging a distinctly UK tutor from infancy will does not automatically produce the result they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to experience numerous of the situations they hope for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, self-identity can not be forced from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I think the fact that the international society views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
