"Parents located in north London is looking for an extraordinary and skilled tutor to guide their most junior child on his initial journey to turning into an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might easily skip the wording "beginning" as simple a turn of phrase.
Yet, it could be the most important aspect of this unique position posting, as it aims to recruit a teacher for a one-year-old.
Many of responses have since been sent in since the unidentified family posted their request for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the listing has attracted attention throughout the press, with numerous asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their hunt, stated that notwithstanding initial scepticism, he considered the idea "visionary", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he noted they appreciated the atypical aspect of their request, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had by then set in".
But what did the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam replied. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the elder child had picked up "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family informed him they wished to avoid history to happen again with their younger child.
The plan: To engage a English tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the education at the beginning here is kind of acquired indirectly," said the expert.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will acquire the British traits they aim to instil.
He noted the tutor needed to be somebody who attended "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed Adam the successful candidate should preferably also have understanding of or interest in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, creative fields and music so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Furthermore though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will lead to success and provide access.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he notes.
Yet, notwithstanding all this guidance in "UK identity", could the child absorb what is termed cultural influence from the multicultural family he resides with anyway?
"Yes", answered the CEO. "The parents know this could fail, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'we should try and we should start as soon as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the private teaching field who express those reservations.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who provides private tutors, wrote that "the process of embracing two identities, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
The expert wrote that he had moved from China to the UK at the period of childhood, and had been brought up experiencing and practicing both cultures. He progressed to learn at Cambridge University.
"The notion that an individual can act as a representation of UK identity, a person who can somehow transplant the qualities of a English gentleman to a one-year-old child, strikes me as optimistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"In my experience, employing a quintessentially British tutor from early childhood will not instantly produce the goal they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and however I have been fortunate enough to enjoy several of the situations they aspire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, cultural identity can not be imposed from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, UK identity is something the expert believes can be taught – and sold.
"I believe the fact that the international society regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
