"Parents based in north London is looking for an extraordinary and experienced educator to assist their youngest child on his first steps to turning into an British gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might easily miss the term "beginning" as simple figurative language.
However, it might be the most important aspect of this unique employment listing, as it aims to hire a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Many of responses have already been sent in since the unidentified family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has received interest throughout the media, with several asking why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their search, said that notwithstanding early skepticism, he found the idea "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he said they understood the atypical nature of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural influence had by then taken hold".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", the expert replied. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the older sibling had picked up "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family told the consultant they hoped to prevent the same situation to happen again with their younger child.
The plan: To bring in a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the learning at the outset here is rather acquired indirectly," stated the CEO.
It's through this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will acquire the UK customs they aim to cultivate.
The consultant noted the tutor must be somebody who studied at "prestigious academies – 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 don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity 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.
Furthermore though, he stated the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, assisting their son develop into a "British gentleman" will lead to success and create opportunities.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he adds.
Yet, in spite of all this guidance in "Britishness", could the child pick up what is termed cultural influence from the globally influenced family he resides with in any case?
"Absolutely", said the CEO. "The parents know this could fail, but they've just taken the view of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the education sector who have similar doubts.
Another CEO, chief executive of a tutoring service, who also offer private tutors, stated that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
The expert noted that he had moved from the Far East to the Britain at the period of seven, and had been raised knowing and practicing both cultures. He continued to learn at Cambridge University.
"The idea that a single person can serve as a representation of English culture, someone who can in some way transfer the qualities of a UK sophisticate upon a infant child, seems to me idealistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"In my experience, having a typically British tutor from early childhood will does not automatically produce the goal they want.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and yet I have been privileged enough to experience numerous of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, personal identity cannot be dictated from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, Britishness is something the expert thinks can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I think the fact that the international society holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
