"A household residing in north London seeks an exceptional and skilled tutor to support their smallest child on his early path to becoming an English gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might naturally skip the wording "initial stages" as simple figurative language.
But, it might be the crucial element of this unusual employment listing, as it attempts to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of applications have now been received since the unnamed family posted their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the advert has gained notice across the media, with numerous questioning why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, chief executive of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their quest, explained that despite first scepticism, he considered the plan "visionary", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he said they appreciated the unusual character of their requirement, and how young their son is.
However, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already set in".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", Adam responded. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He stated the elder child had picked up "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family told Adam they hoped to prevent the same situation to recur with their new baby.
The plan: To bring in a UK tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to influence the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the development at the start here is somewhat osmotic," said Adam.
It's through this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will pick up the UK customs they aim to impart.
The consultant explained the tutor must be someone who attended "the right kinds of schools – similar types 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 may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or passion in riding, alpine skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a wide range of passions.
More than that though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a range 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 view, guiding their son grow into a "British gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and provide access.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he adds.
But, despite all this tutelage in "Britishness", would the child adopt what is termed cultural leaning from the international family he is raised by anyway?
"Certainly", answered Adam. "They know this could fail, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he said.
Impractical
Several in the education sector who express those reservations.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who provides individual instructors, stated that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
Peter explained that he had emigrated from the Far East to the Britain at the age of seven, and had been educated understanding and embodying both cultures. He went on to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that a single person can function as a living vessel of UK identity, a person who can somehow impart the characteristics of a English gentleman upon a one-year-old child, appears idealistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"In my experience, employing a distinctly British tutor from infancy will will not automatically produce the result they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and however I have been privileged enough to experience several of the experiences they desire for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, personal identity cannot be imposed from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, UK identity is something the CEO believes can be taught – and sold.
"I think the fact that the global community regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
