"A family based in north London seeks an exceptional and experienced educator to guide their smallest child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might easily skip the term "beginning" as mere an expression.
But, it could be the most important part of this unique position posting, as it attempts to recruit a tutor for a one-year-old.
Numerous of responses have now been submitted since the unnamed family posted their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the listing has attracted notice throughout the news, with several asking why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their quest, said that in spite of first doubt, he viewed the plan "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he said they understood the unusual character of their request, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had by then become established".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", Adam replied. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the elder child had picked up "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family informed him they wished to avoid the same situation to happen again with their new baby.
The strategy: To engage a UK tutor, who should speak with RP, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the development at the beginning here is kind of acquired indirectly," explained the expert.
It's through this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will adopt the British traits they wish to instil.
He explained the tutor needed to be an individual who attended "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Money No Object
The family told the expert the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or passion in equestrian activities, skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to inspire the child in a wide range of interests.
Additionally though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will result in success and provide access.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he comments.
However, despite all this guidance in "English culture", might the child adopt alleged cultural influence from the globally influenced family he lives with in any case?
"Yes", answered he. "The family understand this may not work, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'we should try and we should start as soon as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the private teaching field who express those reservations.
Another CEO, chief executive of a tutoring service, who provides personal educators, stated that "the development of becoming bicultural, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
Peter wrote that he had emigrated from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised knowing and living dual heritages. He went on to study at Cambridge University.
"The concept that one individual can serve as a representation of English culture, a person who can somehow impart the qualities of a British gentleman onto a infant child, strikes me as optimistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"Based on my background, having a quintessentially UK tutor from babyhood will not automatically achieve the outcome they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to live many of the situations they hope for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, cultural identity cannot be forced from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, UK identity is something the expert thinks can be educated – and commercialized.
"I think the fact that the international society regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
