"A household located in north London is looking for an remarkable and skilled educator to guide their youngest child on his early path to turning into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might easily miss the wording "beginning" as simple a turn of phrase.
However, it may be the most significant aspect of this unique employment listing, as it aims to recruit a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Many of submissions have since been sent in since the unnamed family advertised their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the post has received interest across the media, with many wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their search, said that notwithstanding initial doubt, he viewed the plan "visionary", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they understood the unconventional character of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had by then taken hold".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam replied. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the older sibling had picked up "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family informed Adam they hoped to prevent the same situation to recur with their infant.
The plan: To hire a UK tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the learning at the beginning here is rather absorbed naturally," explained the CEO.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will acquire the English characteristics they aim to instil.
Adam said the tutor had to be someone who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to Adam the chosen tutor should preferably also have knowledge of or interest in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of interests.
More than that though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will result in accomplishment and open doors.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he comments.
Yet, despite all this instruction in "English culture", might the child adopt so-called cultural leaning from the international family he resides with in any case?
"Yes", answered he. "The family realize this could fail, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as early as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the education sector who express those concerns.
Peter Cui, chief executive of an educational organization, who also offer personal educators, wrote that "the process of becoming bicultural, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
The expert wrote that he had moved from Asia to the United Kingdom at the period of childhood, and had been brought up knowing and practicing two backgrounds. He went on to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that an individual can serve as a embodiment of English culture, an individual who can in some way impart the qualities of a UK sophisticate onto a one-year-old child, seems to me optimistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"In my experience, employing a typically UK tutor from babyhood will will not instantly achieve the result they want.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and however I have been fortunate enough to live several of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He added: "The truth is, personal identity should not be forced from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, English culture is something the expert thinks can be taught – and marketed.
"In my view the fact that the global community regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
