"A household residing in North London wants to find an remarkable and qualified tutor to guide their youngest child on his first steps to growing into an British gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might readily skip the phrase "beginning" as just figurative language.
Yet, it may be the crucial element of this unique job advert, as it aims to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of applications have already been submitted since the anonymous family advertised their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the advert has received attention in the news, with many questioning why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their search, explained that despite initial doubt, he viewed the concept "visionary", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they recognized the unusual aspect of their requirement, and how young their son is.
But, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural influence had by then become established".
But what does the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", Adam answered. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the older sibling had absorbed "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family explained to Adam they hoped to prevent the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The intention: To engage a English tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the development at the start here is somewhat acquired indirectly," said the expert.
It's through this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will acquire the British traits they aim to cultivate.
He explained the tutor must be an individual who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to him the successful candidate should preferably also have familiarity of or interest in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, creative fields and music so as to influence the child in a wide range of passions.
Additionally though, he said the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son become a "British gentleman" will result in achievement and provide access.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he adds.
However, in spite of all this instruction in "Britishness", would the child absorb so-called cultural bias from the globally influenced family he resides with regardless?
"Yes", answered Adam. "The parents understand this could fail, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the private teaching field who have these doubts.
Peter Cui, chief executive of an educational organization, who also offer individual instructors, wrote that "the development of embracing two identities, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
The expert noted that he had relocated from China to the Britain at the period of childhood, and had been raised experiencing and living two backgrounds. He progressed to learn at Cambridge University.
"The concept that an individual can act as a living vessel of UK identity, someone who can in some way transplant the attributes of a British gentleman upon a infant child, strikes me as idealistic and impractical," he wrote.
"From my perspective, engaging a typically British tutor from infancy will does not necessarily create the outcome they want.
"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 stated: "The truth is, cultural identity can not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, UK identity is something Adam thinks can be educated – and sold.
"In my view the reality that the world views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
