"A household residing in North London seeks an extraordinary and skilled instructor to assist their youngest child on his early path to turning into an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might naturally overlook the term "beginning" as just a turn of phrase.
Yet, it could be the crucial part of this unique employment listing, as it seeks to find a teacher for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of submissions have already been sent in since the unnamed family posted their request for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the advert has received notice throughout the press, with several asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their hunt, stated that despite early scepticism, he found the plan "visionary", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he said they appreciated the unconventional nature of their requirement, and how young their son is.
However, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural influence had by then become established".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", he responded. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the older sibling had picked up "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family explained to Adam they hoped to prevent this pattern to recur with their new baby.
The strategy: To engage a British tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the learning at the start here is kind of osmotic," stated the expert.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will adopt the UK customs they wish to instil.
Adam said the tutor must be somebody who studied at "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator must be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told him the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in horse riding, skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a wide range of hobbies.
Additionally though, he said the family desired the tutor to register the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son become a "British gentleman" will lead to achievement and open doors.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he notes.
Yet, despite all this guidance in "UK identity", could the child adopt so-called cultural bias from the international family he resides with regardless?
"Yes", answered the CEO. "The parents realize this might not succeed, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he explained.
Impractical
There are some in the education sector who express similar concerns.
Peter Cui, head and founder of Blue Education, who supplies individual instructors, stated that "the journey of embracing two identities, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
He noted that he had emigrated from China to the UK at the age of seven, and had been raised understanding and living dual heritages. He continued to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that one individual can serve as a living vessel of English culture, a person who can in some way transfer the characteristics of a UK sophisticate upon a one-year-old child, appears naive and impractical," he commented.
"Based on my background, engaging a distinctly English tutor from babyhood will does not necessarily produce the outcome they desire.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and however I have been lucky enough to enjoy many of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He added: "The fact is, self-identity cannot be dictated from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Of course, UK identity is something Adam thinks can be taught – and commercialized.
"In my view the fact that the world holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
