"A family residing in north London seeks an remarkable and skilled tutor to guide their smallest child on his first steps to growing into an British gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might naturally overlook the term "beginning" as just a turn of phrase.
Yet, it may be the most important part of this unusual job advert, as it aims to hire a tutor for a one-year-old.
Numerous of submissions have now been received since the unnamed family published their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the post has received interest in the media, with many asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their hunt, said that in spite of early skepticism, he considered the idea "visionary", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he said they understood the atypical nature of their request, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already taken hold".
What precisely does the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert answered. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the firstborn had picked up "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family informed him they hoped to prevent this pattern to happen again with their new baby.
The strategy: To hire a British tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the learning at the beginning here is kind of acquired indirectly," explained the CEO.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will pick up the UK customs they aim to impart.
He noted the tutor had to be an individual who attended "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed him the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or passion in equestrian activities, skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to influence the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
More than that though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son become a "British gentleman" will lead to achievement and open doors.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he notes.
However, in spite of all this guidance in "UK identity", could the child adopt so-called cultural leaning from the international family he is raised by in any case?
"Certainly", answered Adam. "The family realize this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as early as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he said.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the education sector who share similar doubts.
An education leader, head and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer private tutors, stated that "the development of embracing two identities, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
The expert explained that he had moved from China to the UK at the age of childhood, and had been educated knowing and living dual heritages. He went on to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that a single person can act as a representation of UK identity, an individual who can possibly transplant the attributes of a UK sophisticate to a infant child, seems to me naive and impractical," he stated.
"Based on my background, having a quintessentially UK tutor from babyhood will not automatically produce the outcome they hope for.
"I did not have such a figure, and yet I have been fortunate enough to live many of the situations they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, cultural identity should not be forced from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the expert believes can be taught – and commercialized.
"In my view the fact that the world regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
