"A family residing in north London seeks an extraordinary and experienced educator to assist their smallest child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might naturally miss the term "beginning" as mere a turn of phrase.
However, it might be the most important aspect of this distinctive job advert, as it aims to hire a teacher for a one-year-old.
Many of applications have now been submitted since the unidentified family posted their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the post has gained notice across the press, with many asking why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, chief executive of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their quest, said that despite initial scepticism, he found the concept "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he noted they appreciated the unconventional nature of their demand, and how immature their son is.
However, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already become established".
But what did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", he replied. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the elder child had adopted "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family told Adam they hoped to prevent this pattern to repeat itself with their new baby.
The plan: To engage a UK tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the development at the start here is somewhat acquired indirectly," stated the CEO.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will adopt the English characteristics they want to instil.
He explained the tutor had to be someone who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Money No Object
The family informed him the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to influence the child in a wide range of interests.
Furthermore though, he stated the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will lead to achievement and create opportunities.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he notes.
Yet, despite all this instruction in "UK identity", might the child absorb alleged cultural leaning from the multicultural family he is raised by anyway?
"Absolutely", said the CEO. "The parents understand 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 cost of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the private teaching field who express those concerns.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who also offer individual instructors, stated that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
The expert noted that he had relocated from China to the Britain at the age of childhood, and had been raised knowing and living two backgrounds. He went on to learn at Cambridge University.
"The idea that one individual can serve as a embodiment of UK identity, a person who can in some way impart the attributes of a English gentleman upon a infant child, seems to me idealistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"From my perspective, engaging a quintessentially UK tutor from infancy will not necessarily create the goal they desire.
"I did not have such a figure, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to live numerous of the situations they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, self-identity cannot be dictated from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, UK identity is something Adam hopes can be taught – and marketed.
"I think the fact that the international society holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
