"A household located in north London is looking for an remarkable and qualified tutor to guide their most junior child on his initial journey to growing into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might easily skip the term "beginning" as just an expression.
But, it could be the most significant part of this unusual job advert, as it attempts to hire a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of applications have since been received since the unnamed family advertised their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the listing has gained interest throughout the news, with numerous questioning why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, chief executive of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their quest, stated that notwithstanding early skepticism, he viewed the plan "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he mentioned they appreciated the atypical character of their requirement, and how young their son is.
However, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already set in".
What exactly does the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam replied. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the elder child had adopted "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family informed Adam they wished to avoid the same situation to happen again with their younger child.
The intention: To hire a British tutor, who must speak with RP, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the learning at the beginning here is rather absorbed naturally," explained the expert.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will acquire the British traits they aim to impart.
He noted the tutor needed to be an individual who studied at "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed the expert the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in riding, winter sports, the arts and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a wide range of passions.
More than that though, he explained the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a range of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son become a "UK sophisticate" will bring about success and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he comments.
However, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "Britishness", would the child pick up what is termed cultural bias from the multicultural family he lives with in any case?
"Yes", answered the CEO. "They know this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'we should try and we should start as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he stated.
Impractical
There are some in the private teaching field who share similar doubts.
Another CEO, head and founder of a tutoring service, who supplies private tutors, stated that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
Peter explained that he had relocated from the Far East to the UK at the time of seven, and had been brought up understanding and living dual heritages. He progressed to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that one individual can function as a living vessel of UK identity, an individual who can in some way impart the characteristics of a UK sophisticate to a 12-month-old child, seems to me optimistic and impractical," he stated.
"From my perspective, employing a typically English tutor from early childhood will not necessarily create the result they hope for.
"I did not have such a tutor, and however I have been lucky enough to experience numerous of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, self-identity cannot be imposed from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the expert hopes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I believe the reality that the global community holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
