"A family located in North London wants to find an extraordinary and experienced educator to support their smallest child on his first steps to growing into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might easily skip the wording "beginning" as simple a turn of phrase.
But, it could be the most significant part of this unique position posting, as it seeks to find a tutor for a one-year-old.
Numerous of submissions have already been sent in since the unnamed family advertised their call for the highly paid tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the post has attracted notice throughout the press, with numerous asking why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their hunt, stated that despite first skepticism, he considered the idea "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they understood the atypical nature of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
However, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had by then taken hold".
But what did the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", the expert responded. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He explained the elder child had picked up "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family explained to him they did not want the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The intention: To bring in a English tutor, who should speak with RP, to guide the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the education at the start here is somewhat absorbed naturally," said Adam.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will acquire the British traits they aim to impart.
The consultant noted the tutor had to be an individual who studied at "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Money No Object
The family informed the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in riding, skiing, the arts and music so as to shape the child in a wide range of interests.
More than that though, he said the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son develop into a "British gentleman" will result in success and open doors.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he comments.
But, in spite of all this instruction in "English culture", could the child pick up what is termed cultural influence from the globally influenced family he lives with anyway?
"Yes", replied he. "They know this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'we should try and we should start as early as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he said.
Impractical
Several in the private teaching field who have similar doubts.
Peter Cui, head and founder of Blue Education, who also offer individual instructors, wrote that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
Peter explained that he had emigrated from Asia to the UK at the age of childhood, and had been raised knowing and embodying dual heritages. He continued to study at Cambridge University.
"The idea that one individual can serve as a representation of Britishness, someone who can somehow transplant the qualities of a English gentleman onto a one-year-old child, appears optimistic and impractical," he stated.
"In my experience, having a distinctly UK tutor from babyhood will will not necessarily produce the goal they hope for.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and yet I have been privileged enough to live several of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, personal identity can not be forced from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Of course, UK identity is something Adam believes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I think the reality that the international society holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
