"Parents based in north London seeks an exceptional and skilled educator to guide their youngest child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might naturally miss the wording "initial stages" as simple an expression.
But, it could be the most significant part of this unique position posting, as it attempts to find a mentor for a one-year-old.
Many of responses have since been received since the unnamed family advertised their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
In recent few weeks, the listing has attracted interest throughout the news, with numerous questioning why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their quest, explained that in spite of initial scepticism, he viewed the idea "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he said they understood the unusual nature of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
However, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already set in".
What exactly does the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", the expert replied. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He said the firstborn had picked up "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family informed him they wished to avoid the same situation to recur with their new baby.
The plan: To engage a English tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the learning at the start here is kind of osmotic," stated the expert.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will adopt the UK customs they wish to impart.
Adam explained the tutor needed to be an individual who attended "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in riding, alpine skiing, the arts and music so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Additionally though, he said the family desired the tutor to register the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son develop into a "English gentleman" will result in success and create opportunities.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he adds.
But, despite all this guidance in "UK identity", might the child pick up what is termed cultural influence from the globally influenced family he is raised by anyway?
"Certainly", answered Adam. "They know this may not work, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the private teaching field who have those doubts.
Another CEO, chief executive of a tutoring service, who provides individual instructors, commented that "the process of embracing two identities, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
The expert wrote that he had moved from Asia to the United Kingdom at the time of childhood, and had been raised knowing and practicing dual heritages. He went on to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that a single person can function as a representation of UK identity, someone who can somehow transplant the attributes of a British gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, seems to me idealistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"In my experience, having a distinctly English tutor from early childhood will not necessarily produce the outcome they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and yet I have been privileged enough to enjoy several of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, self-identity cannot be imposed from the outside; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, UK identity is something the expert thinks can be taught – and marketed.
"In my view the fact that the international society holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
