"Parents based in north London wants to find an extraordinary and experienced tutor to assist their most junior child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might easily skip the term "initial stages" as simple figurative language.
But, it might be the most important aspect of this unique employment listing, as it aims to find a teacher for a infant.
Hundreds of applications have since been sent in since the unidentified family published their search for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
In recent few weeks, the listing has attracted attention across the press, with several wondering why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their search, said that despite early skepticism, he viewed the plan "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he said they understood the unconventional nature of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
But, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural influence had by then become established".
What exactly does the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam replied. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He said the older sibling had picked up "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family explained to Adam they hoped to prevent this pattern to repeat itself with their infant.
The plan: To bring in a British tutor, who must speak with RP, to guide the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the learning at the beginning here is kind of absorbed naturally," explained the CEO.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will adopt the UK customs they wish to impart.
The consultant said the tutor had to be somebody who went to "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Money No Object
The family explained to the expert the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in equestrian activities, winter sports, the arts and musical activities so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Additionally though, he said the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son develop into a "English gentleman" will result in accomplishment and open doors.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he notes.
However, notwithstanding all this instruction in "UK identity", would the child pick up alleged cultural bias from the multicultural family he is raised by in any case?
"Absolutely", answered Adam. "The family realize this could fail, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Impractical
There are some in the private teaching field who have these doubts.
Another CEO, chief executive of a tutoring service, who also offer individual instructors, commented that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
Peter noted that he had emigrated from Asia to the Britain at the time of childhood, and had been raised experiencing and embodying two backgrounds. He went on to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that an individual can function as a representation of UK identity, a person who can possibly transplant the qualities of a UK sophisticate onto a infant child, strikes me as naive and unfeasible," he wrote.
"Based on my background, employing a distinctly English tutor from infancy will not instantly produce the outcome they desire.
"I did not have such a figure, and yet I have been fortunate enough to live many of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The reality is, cultural identity cannot be dictated from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, English culture is something the CEO believes can be taught – and sold.
"I think the situation that the world views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
