"Parents residing in the northern part of London seeks an extraordinary and skilled tutor to guide their youngest child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might naturally skip the term "beginning" as just figurative language.
But, it might be the most significant aspect of this unique job advert, as it seeks to recruit a mentor for a one-year-old.
Numerous of responses have already been submitted since the unnamed family advertised their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the post has attracted notice across the media, with numerous wondering why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their quest, stated that notwithstanding initial doubt, he viewed the plan "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he noted they recognized the unusual nature of their request, and how immature their son is.
However, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had by then taken hold".
What exactly did the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", the expert responded. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He said the firstborn had picked up "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family informed Adam they hoped to prevent this pattern to happen again with their infant.
The intention: To bring in a British tutor, who must speak with RP, to guide the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the learning at the outset here is somewhat osmotic," said Adam.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will pick up the English characteristics they aim to impart.
Adam noted the tutor must be somebody who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Money No Object
The family informed him the successful candidate should preferably also have knowledge of or passion in riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to shape the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
More than that though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a range of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son develop into a "British gentleman" will bring about achievement and create opportunities.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he notes.
However, in spite of all this guidance in "English culture", would the child pick up what is termed cultural bias from the multicultural family he lives with in any case?
"Certainly", answered he. "The parents realize this could fail, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the tutoring industry who have those reservations.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who also offer private tutors, stated that "the journey of embracing two identities, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
Peter noted that he had moved from Asia to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised experiencing and living dual heritages. He progressed to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The notion that an individual can serve as a representation of Britishness, someone who can possibly transfer the attributes of a British gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, seems to me idealistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"From my perspective, engaging a typically British tutor from babyhood will not instantly create the goal they want.
"I did not have such a figure, and yet I have been lucky enough to experience several of the situations they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, self-identity should not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the CEO thinks can be educated – and sold.
"I think the situation that the global community views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
