"A household located in North London wants to find an extraordinary and experienced educator to assist their most junior child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might easily overlook the term "beginning" as just figurative language.
But, it might be the most important part of this distinctive position posting, as it aims to hire a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of responses have since been received since the unnamed family posted their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the post has gained attention in the news, with many asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, head and founder of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their search, said that despite early skepticism, he found the plan "visionary", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unusual aspect of their request, and how early in age their son is.
But, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already set in".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", he answered. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He explained the elder child had absorbed "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family explained to Adam they hoped to prevent the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The intention: To engage a English tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the education at the beginning here is kind of acquired indirectly," explained the expert.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will adopt the English characteristics they want to instil.
He noted the tutor had to be somebody who went to "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed him the successful candidate should preferably also have familiarity of or passion in equestrian activities, winter sports, the arts and musical activities so as to shape the child in a wide range of passions.
Additionally though, he said the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son grow into a "British gentleman" will result in achievement and open doors.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he adds.
But, despite all this tutelage in "Britishness", would the child absorb alleged cultural bias from the globally influenced family he lives with anyway?
"Certainly", answered Adam. "The parents realize this may not work, but they've just taken the view of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the education sector who have those doubts.
Peter Cui, head and founder of Blue Education, who also offer individual instructors, commented that "the journey of embracing two identities, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
He noted that he had emigrated from China to the United Kingdom at the age of childhood, and had been brought up knowing and living both cultures. He went on to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The concept that an individual can act as a representation of English culture, an individual who can somehow transplant the characteristics of a UK sophisticate upon a 12-month-old child, strikes me as optimistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"From my perspective, employing a distinctly British tutor from early childhood will not automatically create the outcome they desire.
"I never had such a figure, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to enjoy many of the situations they hope for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, personal identity cannot be dictated from the outside; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Of course, Britishness is something the expert hopes can be instructed – and sold.
"I think the fact that the world holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
