"A family located in north London wants to find an exceptional and experienced educator to guide their youngest child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might easily skip the phrase "beginning" as just an expression.
But, it could be the crucial element of this distinctive position posting, as it seeks to find a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Many of submissions have now been received since the anonymous family posted their call for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the post has gained notice across the press, with many asking why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their hunt, explained that despite early skepticism, he viewed the idea "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he mentioned they recognized the unusual aspect of their demand, and how young their son is.
However, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already set in".
But what did the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam responded. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He said the older sibling had adopted "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family explained to the consultant they did not want the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The plan: To engage a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the development at the outset here is rather osmotic," stated the CEO.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will pick up the British traits they wish to instil.
Adam explained the tutor needed to be an individual who studied at "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Money No Object
The family told the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or passion in horse riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to shape the child in a wide range of passions.
More than that though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son become a "English gentleman" will bring about success and provide access.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he adds.
However, in spite of all this guidance in "Britishness", could the child absorb alleged cultural influence from the international family he is raised by regardless?
"Absolutely", said Adam. "They realize this may not work, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he stated.
Impractical
There are some in the education sector who share these doubts.
Another CEO, head and founder of Blue Education, who also offer personal educators, stated that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
The expert noted that he had relocated from China to the UK at the period of childhood, and had been raised experiencing and living two backgrounds. He progressed to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The idea that an individual can act as a representation of English culture, an individual who can possibly impart the attributes of a UK sophisticate upon a infant child, strikes me as naive and unrealistic," he wrote.
"Based on my background, engaging a distinctly UK tutor from early childhood will not necessarily produce the goal they desire.
"I did not have such a figure, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to live many of the experiences they desire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, self-identity can not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Of course, English culture is something the expert believes can be instructed – and sold.
"I believe the situation that the global community regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
