"A family based in the northern part of London wants to find an remarkable and skilled instructor to assist their youngest child on his first steps to growing into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might easily miss the wording "beginning" as simple a turn of phrase.
However, it might be the most significant part of this unusual position posting, as it aims to find a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of responses have already been submitted since the anonymous family published their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the post has attracted notice across the news, with several questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their quest, explained that despite initial scepticism, he viewed the idea "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they understood the atypical nature of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
However, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural bias had already set in".
What precisely does the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", he responded. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He stated the elder child had picked up "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family told Adam they did not want history to repeat itself with their new baby.
The plan: To engage a English tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the development at the beginning here is kind of acquired indirectly," said the CEO.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will pick up the British traits they want to instil.
Adam noted the tutor needed to be an individual who attended "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told the expert the successful candidate should preferably also have knowledge of or passion in horse riding, alpine skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Furthermore though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son become a "English gentleman" will lead to success and provide access.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he notes.
However, despite all this tutelage in "UK identity", would the child pick up so-called cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he is raised by in any case?
"Absolutely", replied the CEO. "The parents know this could fail, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he said.
Impractical
A number of in the private teaching field who have similar doubts.
Peter Cui, chief executive of Blue Education, who supplies private tutors, wrote that "the process of embracing two identities, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
The expert wrote that he had moved from China to the UK at the age of seven, and had been educated experiencing and practicing both cultures. He continued to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that an individual can act as a embodiment of English culture, someone who can possibly impart the qualities of a UK sophisticate to a infant child, appears naive and unrealistic," he wrote.
"Based on my background, engaging a typically UK tutor from babyhood will will not instantly produce the outcome they hope for.
"I never had such a tutor, and however I have been privileged enough to live several of the situations they desire for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, cultural identity should not be imposed from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, English culture is something the CEO believes can be taught – and commercialized.
"I think the reality that the world views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
