"Parents based in North London wants to find an extraordinary and skilled educator to support their smallest child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might readily overlook the term "initial stages" as just figurative language.
Yet, it could be the most important aspect of this unusual job advert, as it seeks to find a tutor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of submissions have since been sent in since the unnamed family posted their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the post has attracted attention in the press, with many questioning why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their search, said that despite initial scepticism, he viewed the plan "visionary", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unconventional character of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
But, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had already set in".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert responded. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the older sibling had picked up "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family told him they hoped to prevent history to happen again with their new baby.
The strategy: To engage a British tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the development at the beginning here is somewhat absorbed naturally," explained Adam.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will acquire the UK customs they want to cultivate.
He said the tutor had to be somebody who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a diverse set of interests.
More than that though, he explained the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, assisting their son become a "UK sophisticate" will result in accomplishment and provide access.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he comments.
But, despite all this instruction in "UK identity", would the child pick up what is termed cultural influence from the international family he is raised by anyway?
"Yes", replied Adam. "They know this could fail, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as early as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the tutoring industry who have those concerns.
An education leader, chief executive of a tutoring service, who also offer personal educators, commented that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
Peter explained that he had relocated from the Far East to the UK at the age of seven, and had been educated understanding and living dual heritages. He continued to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that an individual can act as a representation of Britishness, someone who can possibly transplant the qualities of a British gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, strikes me as optimistic and unrealistic," he stated.
"From my perspective, employing a typically UK tutor from babyhood will does not automatically produce the goal they want.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to experience several of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, self-identity should not be forced from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, UK identity is something the expert hopes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I believe the reality that the global community views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
