"Parents based in north London seeks an extraordinary and qualified instructor to support their smallest child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might naturally miss the wording "beginning" as simple a turn of phrase.
Yet, it might be the crucial part of this unusual employment listing, as it aims to find a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of applications have since been sent in since the anonymous family posted their call for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted interest in the press, with numerous wondering why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their hunt, said that notwithstanding initial scepticism, he found the concept "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they understood the unconventional nature of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had already become established".
What exactly does the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert answered. "How you eat, how you speak".
He stated the elder child had absorbed "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family explained to the consultant they wished to avoid the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To engage a English tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the education at the outset here is rather osmotic," said the expert.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will adopt the UK customs they aim to impart.
The consultant noted the tutor must be an individual who went to "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told the expert the selected educator should preferably also have knowledge of or passion in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a wide range of interests.
Additionally though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son become a "UK sophisticate" will bring about accomplishment and provide access.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he notes.
Yet, in spite of all this instruction in "UK identity", might the child adopt what is termed cultural bias from the multicultural family he lives with in any case?
"Absolutely", answered the CEO. "The parents know this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'we should try and we should start as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Impractical
There are some in the education sector who share similar doubts.
Peter Cui, head and founder of Blue Education, who provides individual instructors, commented that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
He noted that he had moved from Asia to the Britain at the period of 7 years old, and had been raised knowing and practicing dual heritages. He progressed to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that one individual can act as a embodiment of UK identity, a person who can in some way impart the qualities of a UK sophisticate to a 12-month-old child, appears optimistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"Based on my background, engaging a quintessentially English tutor from early childhood will will not necessarily produce the result they desire.
"I never had such a figure, and however I have been privileged enough to enjoy several of the experiences they hope for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, personal identity should not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, Britishness is something the expert hopes can be taught – and commercialized.
"In my view the fact that the world regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
