"A household located in the northern part of London is looking for an remarkable and experienced instructor to support their smallest child on his first steps to turning into an English gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might naturally miss the wording "initial stages" as just a turn of phrase.
But, it might be the crucial element of this unusual employment listing, as it seeks to hire a tutor for a one-year-old.
Many of applications have now been received since the unnamed family posted their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the advert has received interest throughout the news, with many questioning why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their quest, said that in spite of early scepticism, he considered the plan "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they understood the unusual aspect of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
However, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural bias had by then become established".
What precisely does the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", the expert answered. "How you eat, how you speak".
He explained the firstborn had adopted "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family informed the consultant they did not want the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To hire a British tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the development at the outset here is somewhat osmotic," explained the CEO.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will pick up the British traits they want to cultivate.
Adam noted the tutor had to be someone who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed him the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in riding, skiing, creative fields and music so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of interests.
Furthermore though, he said the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son grow into a "British gentleman" will bring about achievement and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he adds.
Yet, despite all this guidance in "UK identity", might the child adopt alleged cultural bias from the multicultural family he is raised by in any case?
"Certainly", replied he. "They realize this may not work, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he said.
Impractical
A number of in the private teaching field who express those doubts.
Another CEO, chief executive of Blue Education, who also offer private tutors, stated that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
Peter wrote that he had moved from Asia to the UK at the time of 7 years old, and had been brought up understanding and embodying both cultures. He continued to learn at Cambridge University.
"The idea that one individual can function as a representation of English culture, an individual who can possibly transfer the qualities of a English gentleman upon a one-year-old child, seems to me naive and unfeasible," he wrote.
"Based on my background, engaging a quintessentially UK tutor from early childhood will does not instantly produce the goal they want.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to live many of the situations they hope for their son."
He added: "The truth is, cultural identity cannot be forced from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, Britishness is something the expert thinks can be taught – and sold.
"I believe the fact that the world regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating