"Parents based in North London wants to find an extraordinary and skilled tutor to guide their smallest child on his early path to becoming an English gentleman."
When reading this post, you might naturally skip the wording "initial stages" as just a turn of phrase.
But, it may be the crucial element of this distinctive employment listing, as it attempts to find a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Many of applications have now been received since the anonymous family advertised their search for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted notice across the media, with numerous asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their hunt, stated that despite initial scepticism, he viewed the concept "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he mentioned they understood the atypical character of their demand, and how young their son is.
But, 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 age "cultural conditioning had by then become established".
What precisely did the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam replied. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the elder child had picked up "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family told him they did not want the same situation to repeat itself with their younger child.
The intention: To bring in a UK tutor, who should speak with RP, to influence the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the learning at the outset here is rather acquired indirectly," said the expert.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will pick up the British traits they aim to cultivate.
The consultant explained the tutor needed to be an individual who studied at "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Money No Object
The family told him the selected educator should preferably also have familiarity of or passion in riding, winter sports, the arts and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of interests.
More than that though, he said the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, assisting their son become a "English gentleman" will result in accomplishment and open doors.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he notes.
However, despite all this tutelage in "English culture", would the child pick up so-called cultural bias from the globally influenced family he resides with in any case?
"Absolutely", replied he. "The parents realize this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as quickly as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Impractical
Several in the private teaching field who share these doubts.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who supplies personal educators, wrote that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
He noted that he had moved from China to the United Kingdom at the time of seven, and had been brought up knowing and embodying two backgrounds. He continued to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that an individual can serve as a representation of Britishness, an individual who can somehow impart the attributes of a UK sophisticate onto a one-year-old child, seems to me idealistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"Based on my background, employing a typically English tutor from early childhood will not automatically create the result they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to live many of the experiences they hope for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, personal identity cannot be imposed from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, English culture is something the CEO hopes can be taught – and sold.
"I think the reality that the international society regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
