"A household residing in north London seeks an exceptional and qualified educator to guide their most junior child on his first steps to growing into an English gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might readily overlook the wording "beginning" as mere figurative language.
Yet, it could be the most important element of this unique job advert, as it seeks to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of applications have since been sent in since the unnamed family posted their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the post has attracted attention across the media, with several questioning why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their search, explained that notwithstanding early doubt, he found the plan "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unconventional nature of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
But, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had already set in".
What exactly did the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", he replied. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the elder child had absorbed "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family informed Adam they wished to avoid this pattern to repeat itself with their infant.
The intention: To hire a British tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the learning at the outset here is somewhat osmotic," said the expert.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will adopt the UK customs they wish to impart.
Adam explained the tutor had to be an individual who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator must be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in horse riding, winter sports, the arts and musical activities so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
Additionally though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son develop into a "British gentleman" will result in accomplishment and open doors.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he adds.
Yet, despite all this tutelage in "UK identity", could the child adopt what is termed cultural influence from the international family he resides with in any case?
"Yes", said Adam. "The family know this may not work, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the education sector who express those reservations.
An education leader, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer individual instructors, stated that "the process of embracing two identities, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
Peter explained that he had moved from Asia to the United Kingdom at the period of seven, and had been raised experiencing and living dual heritages. He continued to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that a single person can function as a living vessel of UK identity, an individual who can somehow transplant the attributes of a British gentleman onto a infant child, appears optimistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"From my perspective, engaging a quintessentially UK tutor from infancy will not necessarily produce the goal they desire.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and yet I have been privileged enough to enjoy numerous of the experiences they hope for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, self-identity should not be imposed from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, UK identity is something the expert believes can be educated – and marketed.
"In my view the reality that the global community holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
