"A household based in North London wants to find an remarkable and skilled tutor to support their youngest child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might naturally miss the term "initial stages" as just figurative language.
But, it may be the crucial part of this unique job advert, as it seeks to find a teacher for a one-year-old.
Numerous of applications have now been received since the anonymous family advertised their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
In recent few weeks, the advert has received interest across the press, with numerous questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their search, explained that in spite of first skepticism, he considered the idea "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he said they understood the unconventional nature of their requirement, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already become established".
What exactly did the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", he answered. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He said the elder child had picked up "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family explained to the consultant they hoped to prevent the same situation to recur with their infant.
The strategy: To bring in a British tutor, who should speak with RP, to shape the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the learning at the beginning here is somewhat osmotic," explained the CEO.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will adopt the British traits they aim to cultivate.
Adam said the tutor had to be someone who studied at "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs 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 explained to the expert the chosen tutor should preferably also have understanding of or passion in riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and music so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
Additionally though, he said the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son develop into a "English gentleman" will result in achievement and provide access.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he comments.
Yet, despite all this guidance in "Britishness", might the child pick up what is termed cultural influence from the multicultural family he resides with anyway?
"Absolutely", replied the CEO. "The family understand this might not succeed, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the private teaching field who share similar concerns.
An education leader, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who provides private tutors, wrote that "the development of becoming bicultural, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
Peter noted that he had relocated from the Far East to the Britain at the period of childhood, and had been brought up experiencing and practicing dual heritages. He went on to study at Cambridge University.
"The concept that a single person can serve as a living vessel of English culture, someone who can in some way impart the qualities of a English gentleman upon a infant child, appears optimistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"From my perspective, engaging a quintessentially British tutor from babyhood will not automatically create the outcome they want.
"I never had such a tutor, and yet I have been lucky enough to experience many of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He added: "The truth is, personal identity should not be dictated from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Of course, Britishness is something the CEO thinks can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I think the situation that the global community views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
