"A family located in North London is looking for an exceptional and skilled educator to guide their most junior child on his initial journey to growing into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might naturally skip the wording "beginning" as just an expression.
However, it could be the most important aspect of this unique position posting, as it aims to recruit a tutor for a infant.
Hundreds of responses have since been sent in since the anonymous family posted their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the post has gained notice in the press, with numerous asking why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, head and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their hunt, stated that in spite of early skepticism, he found the concept "visionary", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he noted they recognized the atypical nature of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
But, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had already become established".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam responded. "How you eat, how you speak".
He stated the older sibling had absorbed "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family explained to him they did not want history to happen again with their younger child.
The strategy: To engage a English tutor, who should speak with RP, to guide the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the development at the beginning here is somewhat osmotic," explained the expert.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will pick up the British traits they want to cultivate.
Adam noted the tutor needed to be somebody who studied at "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to him the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in horse riding, alpine skiing, the arts and music so as to shape the child in a diverse set of interests.
More than that though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son become a "English gentleman" will result in achievement and open doors.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he notes.
But, in spite of all this tutelage in "UK identity", could the child adopt alleged cultural leaning from the international family he is raised by anyway?
"Absolutely", answered Adam. "The parents know this may not work, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the private teaching field who express those concerns.
Another CEO, chief executive of Blue Education, who supplies individual instructors, commented that "the journey of embracing two identities, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
He wrote that he had emigrated from China to the Britain at the time of 7 years old, and had been brought up knowing and living dual heritages. He continued to learn at Cambridge University.
"The idea that a single person can serve as a embodiment of Britishness, someone who can in some way transfer the qualities of a English gentleman upon a infant child, strikes me as naive and unrealistic," he wrote.
"In my experience, engaging a distinctly English tutor from early childhood will does not instantly create the goal they want.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and however I have been lucky enough to enjoy many of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He added: "The fact is, personal identity should not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, English culture is something the expert believes can be instructed – and marketed.
"In my view the situation that the global community regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
