"A household residing in North London seeks an extraordinary and skilled educator to assist their youngest child on his initial journey to becoming an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might easily overlook the term "initial stages" as mere a turn of phrase.
But, it could be the crucial element of this unique job advert, as it attempts to find a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of applications have already been received since the unnamed family posted their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the advert has gained attention throughout the news, with several asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their hunt, explained that despite first doubt, he considered the idea "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he said they recognized the unconventional aspect of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
However, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had by then become established".
What exactly does the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", he answered. "How you eat, how you speak".
He stated the firstborn had picked up "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" 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 hire a UK tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the learning at the outset here is somewhat osmotic," explained the CEO.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will pick up the English characteristics they aim to instil.
Adam said the tutor must be an individual who studied at "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Money No Object
The family informed the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to shape the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
More than that though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a range 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, guiding their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will result in accomplishment and create opportunities.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he notes.
However, notwithstanding all this instruction in "UK identity", might the child adopt alleged cultural bias from the international family he lives with regardless?
"Certainly", answered he. "The parents know this could fail, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the private teaching field who share similar reservations.
Peter Cui, head and founder of a tutoring service, who provides personal educators, wrote that "the process of embracing two identities, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
Peter wrote that he had relocated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the age of seven, and had been raised understanding and practicing dual heritages. He progressed to study at Cambridge University.
"The notion that a single person can act as a living vessel of Britishness, a person who can possibly transfer the qualities of a English gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, seems to me naive and unfeasible," he commented.
"From my perspective, engaging a quintessentially English tutor from infancy will does not necessarily achieve the goal they hope for.
"I never had such a tutor, and however I have been privileged enough to enjoy many of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, cultural identity should not be imposed from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, UK identity is something Adam believes can be instructed – and marketed.
"I believe the fact that the global community holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
