"A household located in north London is looking for an extraordinary and qualified instructor to guide their most junior child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might naturally overlook the wording "initial stages" as just a turn of phrase.
However, it could be the most important part of this unique position posting, as it aims to hire a teacher for a one-year-old.
Many of applications have already been submitted since the unnamed family advertised their search for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the advert has attracted interest across the press, with numerous questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their search, stated that notwithstanding early doubt, he viewed the idea "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he said they recognized the unusual character of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
But, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had already become established".
But what did the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", he replied. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He stated the older sibling had absorbed "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family informed the consultant they hoped to prevent the same situation to happen again with their younger child.
The strategy: To bring in a English tutor, who must speak with RP, to guide the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the education at the start here is rather absorbed naturally," explained the expert.
It's via this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will pick up the British traits they want to impart.
Adam explained the tutor needed to be somebody who studied at "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to him the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a wide range of interests.
Furthermore though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son develop into a "British gentleman" will result in success and provide access.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he comments.
However, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "Britishness", might the child adopt what is termed cultural influence from the international family he is raised by anyway?
"Yes", answered the CEO. "The family know this could fail, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Impractical
There are some in the private teaching field who express these reservations.
Peter Cui, chief executive of Blue Education, who supplies private tutors, commented that "the development of becoming bicultural, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
The expert explained that he had moved from China to the United Kingdom at the age of seven, and had been brought up experiencing and practicing dual heritages. He continued to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that one individual can function as a living vessel of UK identity, an individual who can possibly transplant the characteristics of a British gentleman onto a infant child, appears naive and impractical," he wrote.
"Based on my background, having a typically UK tutor from early childhood will does not automatically create the outcome they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to experience many of the situations they aspire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, cultural identity can not be forced from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, Britishness is something the CEO thinks can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I think the reality that the world regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating