"Parents residing in the northern part of London is looking for an remarkable and qualified tutor to guide their smallest child on his initial journey to growing into an English gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might readily overlook the wording "initial stages" as simple an expression.
However, it might be the most important part of this unique job advert, as it seeks to hire a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Many of applications have already been submitted since the unidentified family posted their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the post has received attention throughout the media, with numerous wondering why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their search, said that notwithstanding initial scepticism, he found the concept "visionary", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they understood the unconventional aspect of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already become established".
But what did the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", he replied. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He said the firstborn had absorbed "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family informed him they wished to avoid history to repeat itself with their new baby.
The plan: To bring in a British tutor, who should speak with RP, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the learning at the start here is somewhat acquired indirectly," explained the CEO.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will adopt the English characteristics they aim to impart.
Adam said the tutor had to be somebody who went to "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told him the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or passion in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he said the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of classes 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, helping their son develop into a "English gentleman" will bring about success and create opportunities.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he notes.
But, in spite of all this instruction in "English culture", could the child pick up what is termed cultural influence from the international family he lives with anyway?
"Certainly", replied Adam. "They realize this could fail, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'we should try and we should start as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the education sector who share those concerns.
Peter Cui, head and founder of Blue Education, who provides individual instructors, stated that "the process of becoming bicultural, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
The expert explained that he had moved from the Far East to the UK at the time of seven, and had been raised knowing and practicing two backgrounds. He continued to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that a single person can serve as a embodiment of English culture, a person who can possibly transfer the qualities of a English gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, seems to me naive and unrealistic," he wrote.
"In my experience, employing a quintessentially English tutor from early childhood will does not instantly achieve the result they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and however I have been lucky enough to live numerous of the experiences they desire for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, personal identity cannot be dictated from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, Britishness is something Adam hopes can be taught – and marketed.
"In my view the situation that the global community holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
