"A household residing in north London wants to find an exceptional and qualified instructor to guide their most junior child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might easily overlook the wording "initial stages" as simple a turn of phrase.
However, it might be the most significant aspect of this distinctive position posting, as it attempts to find a teacher for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of responses have now been received since the unidentified family posted their request for the highly paid tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the advert has attracted interest in the press, with numerous questioning why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their quest, stated that despite initial doubt, he viewed the plan "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he said they appreciated the unusual aspect of their demand, and how young their son is.
However, 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 bias had already become established".
But what did the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", he replied. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the older sibling had adopted "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family informed the consultant they hoped to prevent the same situation to repeat itself with their new baby.
The strategy: To bring in a English tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to guide the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the learning at the outset here is rather absorbed naturally," explained the expert.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will acquire the British traits they aim to cultivate.
He said the tutor must be somebody who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed him the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or passion in equestrian activities, winter sports, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he explained the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a range of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son become a "British gentleman" will bring about achievement and provide access.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he adds.
But, despite all this guidance in "English culture", would the child pick up what is termed cultural bias from the globally influenced family he lives with in any case?
"Absolutely", answered Adam. "The family know this might not succeed, 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 not relevant," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the education sector who express those concerns.
An education leader, chief executive of Blue Education, who supplies personal educators, commented that "the process of becoming bicultural, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
He wrote that he had relocated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the time of seven, and had been educated understanding and living both cultures. He progressed to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that one individual can act as a representation of Britishness, a person who can somehow transfer the attributes of a UK sophisticate onto a 12-month-old child, appears naive and unfeasible," he stated.
"From my perspective, having a distinctly UK tutor from babyhood will does not instantly produce the outcome they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and yet I have been privileged enough to experience several of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, personal identity should not be dictated from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, English culture is something the expert thinks can be taught – and commercialized.
"In my view the reality that the international society regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
