"A household located in the northern part of London wants to find an extraordinary and experienced instructor to support their smallest child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might naturally miss the phrase "beginning" as mere a turn of phrase.
But, it could be the crucial part of this distinctive employment listing, as it seeks to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of responses have now been submitted since the unidentified family published their search for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has gained interest in the news, with numerous questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their search, said that despite first skepticism, he found the plan "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he mentioned they understood the unconventional aspect of their demand, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already taken hold".
What precisely did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert replied. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He said the firstborn had adopted "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family explained to the consultant they hoped to prevent the same situation to repeat itself with their younger child.
The intention: To hire a English tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the learning at the start here is somewhat absorbed naturally," said the CEO.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will adopt the UK customs they want to instil.
Adam explained the tutor must be an individual who attended "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Money No Object
The family informed Adam the successful candidate should preferably also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in horse riding, winter sports, the arts and musical activities so as to influence the child in a diverse set of passions.
Additionally though, he said the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son become a "British gentleman" will lead to success and open doors.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he comments.
But, notwithstanding all this instruction in "English culture", would the child absorb so-called cultural influence from the international family he lives with anyway?
"Absolutely", said the CEO. "The parents realize this may not work, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'we should try and let's go as soon as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the education sector who express similar doubts.
Another CEO, chief executive of Blue Education, who also offer private tutors, stated that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
Peter explained that he had moved from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the time of 7 years old, and had been raised understanding and practicing both cultures. He continued to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The notion that a single person can act as a embodiment of Britishness, someone who can somehow transplant the qualities of a UK sophisticate onto a 12-month-old child, strikes me as idealistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"From my perspective, having a typically English tutor from early childhood will will not automatically produce the goal they want.
"I never had such a tutor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to enjoy many of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, self-identity should not be forced from the outside; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, English culture is something Adam hopes can be taught – and sold.
"I think the reality that the global community views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
