"Parents located in north London seeks an remarkable and skilled educator to guide their smallest child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might easily overlook the term "initial stages" as mere figurative language.
However, it could be the crucial element of this unique job advert, as it seeks to recruit a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of applications have already been received since the anonymous family posted their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the post has received attention across the media, with many wondering why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their quest, explained that despite early doubt, he considered the concept "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he noted they recognized the atypical nature of their demand, and how young their son is.
But, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already set in".
What precisely does the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", the expert responded. "How you eat, how you speak".
He stated the firstborn had picked up "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family informed him they hoped to prevent history to recur with their infant.
The plan: To hire a English tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the learning at the start here is kind of absorbed naturally," said Adam.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will acquire the English characteristics they want to impart.
Adam explained the tutor must be somebody who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to him the successful candidate should preferably also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to shape the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son grow into a "British gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and create opportunities.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he comments.
Yet, notwithstanding all this guidance in "Britishness", would the child adopt what is termed cultural leaning from the multicultural family he is raised by in any case?
"Yes", said the CEO. "The parents understand this may not work, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who have similar concerns.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who supplies personal educators, wrote that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
He noted that he had moved from China to the Britain at the time of childhood, and had been educated understanding and living dual heritages. He went on to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that one individual can act as a representation of English culture, a person who can somehow transplant the characteristics of a British gentleman to a one-year-old child, strikes me as idealistic and impractical," he stated.
"From my perspective, having a typically English tutor from infancy will will not necessarily create the outcome they hope for.
"I did not have such a figure, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to enjoy several of the situations they hope for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, cultural identity should not be forced from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, Britishness is something Adam hopes can be instructed – and sold.
"In my view the fact that the world regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
