"A household located in north London is looking for an remarkable and skilled educator to assist their youngest child on his first steps to growing into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might easily overlook the term "initial stages" as simple a turn of phrase.
Yet, it might be the most important element of this distinctive position posting, as it aims to find a teacher for a one-year-old.
Many of responses have now been received since the unidentified family published their call for the highly paid tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the post has attracted attention in the news, with numerous asking why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, head and founder of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their hunt, said that despite initial doubt, he found the concept "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he noted they appreciated the atypical nature of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already set in".
What exactly does the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam responded. "How you eat, how you speak".
He stated the elder child had absorbed "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family informed him they wished to avoid the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To hire a UK tutor, who should speak with RP, to influence the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the learning at the beginning here is somewhat absorbed naturally," stated Adam.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will acquire the British traits they aim to instil.
The consultant noted the tutor must be someone who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told him the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or interest in horse riding, skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a wide range of hobbies.
Additionally though, he explained 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 tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son become a "British gentleman" will result in accomplishment and create opportunities.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he notes.
Yet, in spite of all this tutelage in "UK identity", would the child adopt what is termed cultural bias from the multicultural family he lives with anyway?
"Yes", said Adam. "The parents understand this may not work, but they've just taken the view of, 'we should try and let's go as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he stated.
Impractical
There are some in the tutoring industry who express these concerns.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who supplies personal educators, wrote that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
The expert noted that he had relocated from Asia to the Britain at the age of childhood, and had been brought up experiencing and practicing dual heritages. He progressed to learn at Cambridge University.
"The notion that a single person can serve as a embodiment of English culture, an individual who can in some way impart the attributes of a British gentleman onto a infant child, appears naive and impractical," he commented.
"In my experience, engaging a typically English tutor from infancy will does not automatically create the goal they desire.
"I did not have such a tutor, and however I have been lucky enough to enjoy several of the situations they desire for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, personal identity cannot be forced from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Of course, Britishness is something the expert thinks can be instructed – and marketed.
"In my view the fact that the global community holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
