"A family residing in the northern part of London seeks an remarkable and experienced instructor to support their smallest child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might readily skip the wording "initial stages" as simple a turn of phrase.
Yet, it may be the most significant aspect of this unusual job advert, as it attempts to recruit a tutor for a infant.
Many of applications have now been sent in since the anonymous family posted their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the post has received notice in the news, with several asking why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, head and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their search, explained that in spite of early skepticism, he considered the concept "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he said they understood the atypical character of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
But, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already taken hold".
What exactly does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam replied. "How you eat, how you speak".
He explained the firstborn had picked up "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family informed the consultant they hoped to prevent the same situation to recur with their younger child.
The intention: To engage a British tutor, who must speak with RP, to influence the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the learning at the beginning here is kind of osmotic," said Adam.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will adopt the British traits they wish to instil.
The consultant explained the tutor must be an individual who attended "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a diverse set of interests.
Furthermore though, he explained the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, assisting their son develop into a "British gentleman" will bring about success and provide access.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he adds.
However, in spite of all this tutelage in "Britishness", could the child absorb what is termed cultural leaning from the international family he lives with anyway?
"Certainly", answered the CEO. "They understand this may not work, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the tutoring industry who express these doubts.
An education leader, head and founder of an educational organization, who also offer private tutors, commented that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
He explained that he had relocated from the Far East to the UK at the age of childhood, and had been raised understanding and practicing two backgrounds. He went on to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The idea that a single person can serve as a representation of UK identity, an individual who can somehow transfer the qualities of a UK sophisticate to a 12-month-old child, strikes me as idealistic and impractical," he stated.
"Based on my background, employing a typically British tutor from infancy will does not necessarily achieve the goal they want.
"I never had such a figure, and however I have been lucky enough to experience numerous of the situations they hope for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, self-identity cannot be dictated from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, English culture is something Adam thinks can be taught – and marketed.
"I think the fact that the international society holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
