"A household based in north London wants to find an exceptional and skilled tutor to support their most junior child on his early path to turning into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might naturally overlook the wording "beginning" as just an expression.
Yet, it may be the crucial element of this unique employment listing, as it aims to find a teacher for a infant.
Many of responses have since been received since the anonymous family posted their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the advert has received interest throughout the press, with several wondering why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their quest, said that in spite of initial scepticism, he found the plan "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he mentioned they recognized the unusual nature of their request, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already set in".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert responded. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the firstborn had picked up "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family informed him they hoped to prevent the same situation to recur with their younger child.
The strategy: To hire a UK tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the learning at the start here is rather osmotic," stated the CEO.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will acquire the English characteristics they aim to cultivate.
The consultant said the tutor had to be somebody who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Money No Object
The family told the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in riding, winter sports, creative fields and musical activities so as to influence the child in a diverse set of passions.
Additionally though, he explained the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a range 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 minds, helping their son become a "English gentleman" will lead to achievement and open doors.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he comments.
But, in spite of all this instruction in "English culture", could the child pick up what is termed cultural bias from the multicultural family he lives with anyway?
"Certainly", said the CEO. "The family understand this could fail, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he said.
Impractical
A number of in the private teaching field who express those reservations.
An education leader, head and founder of Blue Education, who provides personal educators, commented that "the journey of embracing two identities, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
Peter explained that he had emigrated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the age of seven, and had been raised understanding and living two backgrounds. He progressed to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The notion that one individual can act as a embodiment of Britishness, someone who can in some way impart the characteristics of a British gentleman to a 12-month-old child, seems to me optimistic and unrealistic," he stated.
"In my experience, having a typically British tutor from babyhood will will not necessarily produce the outcome they desire.
"I never had such a figure, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to enjoy many of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He added: "The fact is, cultural identity can not be dictated from the outside; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, UK identity is something Adam believes can be educated – and commercialized.
"I think the fact that the global community views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
