"A household based in the northern part of London seeks an exceptional and skilled educator to support their youngest child on his initial journey to turning into an British gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might easily skip the wording "initial stages" as just a turn of phrase.
However, it might be the most important aspect of this unusual employment listing, as it seeks to recruit a mentor for a one-year-old.
Numerous of responses have now been submitted since the unnamed family posted their search for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
In recent few weeks, the listing has attracted interest throughout the media, with many questioning why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their quest, said that notwithstanding early scepticism, he viewed the concept "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unusual nature of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
But, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural bias had by then taken hold".
What precisely does the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", he answered. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He said the firstborn had absorbed "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family explained to him they hoped to prevent this pattern to repeat itself with their new baby.
The plan: To engage a UK tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the education at the start here is kind of osmotic," stated the CEO.
It's via this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will adopt the English characteristics they want to cultivate.
Adam noted the tutor had to be an individual 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 don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a wide range of passions.
Furthermore though, he said the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a range of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son develop into a "British gentleman" will lead to achievement and create opportunities.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he comments.
But, despite all this guidance in "Britishness", might the child absorb what is termed cultural leaning from the international family he is raised by regardless?
"Absolutely", answered he. "The family understand this could fail, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he stated.
Impractical
There are some in the education sector who share those doubts.
An education leader, chief executive of a tutoring service, who provides individual instructors, wrote that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
The expert wrote that he had emigrated from the Far East to the UK at the period of childhood, and had been raised experiencing and living two backgrounds. He went on to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that one individual can serve as a embodiment of English culture, a person who can in some way transfer the attributes of a English gentleman onto a one-year-old child, seems to me optimistic and unrealistic," he stated.
"From my perspective, engaging a quintessentially English tutor from infancy will not automatically create the goal they hope for.
"I never had such a figure, and yet I have been privileged enough to live several of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He stated: "The reality is, self-identity cannot be imposed from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be taught – and commercialized.
"I believe the reality that the international society holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
