"A household based in north London wants to find an exceptional and skilled tutor to support their smallest child on his first steps to turning into an British gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might naturally overlook the phrase "initial stages" as mere figurative language.
Yet, it could be the most significant element of this unusual position posting, as it aims to hire a teacher for a one-year-old.
Many of responses have since been submitted since the unnamed family published their call for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted interest across the press, with many wondering why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their hunt, explained that notwithstanding first skepticism, he viewed the idea "visionary", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they recognized the unconventional character of their demand, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural bias had already taken hold".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert answered. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He said the older sibling had picked up "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family told him they hoped to prevent history to happen again with their infant.
The strategy: To bring in a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the learning at the outset here is kind of absorbed naturally," explained the expert.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will pick up the UK customs they want to impart.
The consultant explained the tutor needed to be someone who studied at "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Money No Object
The family informed Adam the chosen tutor should preferably also have familiarity of or passion in horse riding, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a wide range of passions.
More than that though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a range of classes so the child would be "pony-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 lead to accomplishment and provide access.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he notes.
But, in spite of all this guidance in "UK identity", might the child absorb what is termed cultural leaning from the multicultural family he lives with in any case?
"Yes", answered the CEO. "The parents realize this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the tutoring industry who express similar concerns.
Peter Cui, head and founder of a tutoring service, who provides personal educators, commented that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
He wrote that he had emigrated from China to the UK at the period of childhood, and had been educated knowing and living dual heritages. He continued to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that one individual can serve as a representation of Britishness, an individual who can in some way impart the characteristics of a English gentleman onto a one-year-old child, seems to me optimistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"In my experience, employing a quintessentially British tutor from babyhood will not instantly create the goal they desire.
"I did not have such a tutor, and however I have been lucky enough to enjoy numerous of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, personal identity should not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, Britishness is something the CEO thinks can be educated – and commercialized.
"I think the fact that the global community holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
