"Parents located in the northern part of London wants to find an remarkable and skilled educator to assist their youngest child on his first steps to growing into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might easily overlook the term "initial stages" as just a turn of phrase.
Yet, it could be the crucial element of this unusual position posting, as it attempts to recruit a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of responses have since been received since the anonymous family posted their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the post has gained notice throughout the media, with numerous asking why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, head and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their quest, said that in spite of initial scepticism, he considered the concept "visionary", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they understood the unconventional nature of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already become established".
What precisely did the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert replied. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the firstborn had adopted "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family explained to him they wished to avoid history to happen again with their infant.
The intention: To hire a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the education at the outset here is somewhat osmotic," stated Adam.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will adopt the British traits they want to cultivate.
The consultant noted the tutor had to be an individual who went to "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Money No Object
The family explained to Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or passion in equestrian activities, skiing, the arts and music so as to inspire the child in a wide range of passions.
More than that though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son become a "UK sophisticate" will lead to accomplishment and open doors.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he adds.
Yet, notwithstanding all this instruction in "UK identity", could the child pick up so-called cultural bias from the international family he lives with anyway?
"Yes", said Adam. "The family know this might not succeed, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he explained.
Impractical
There are some in the education sector who share these concerns.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who provides individual instructors, commented that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
Peter noted that he had moved from Asia to the United Kingdom at the time of 7 years old, and had been raised experiencing and living two backgrounds. He continued to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that an individual can serve as a living vessel of Britishness, someone who can somehow transfer the characteristics of a English gentleman upon a infant child, seems to me naive and unrealistic," he commented.
"Based on my background, employing a distinctly English tutor from infancy will does not necessarily achieve the result they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to live numerous of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, self-identity cannot be imposed from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, English culture is something the CEO thinks can be taught – and commercialized.
"In my view the situation that the international society regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
