"A family based in north London seeks an remarkable and qualified tutor to guide their smallest child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might naturally skip the term "initial stages" as simple a turn of phrase.
But, it might be the most important element of this unusual position posting, as it attempts to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of responses have now been submitted since the anonymous family posted their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted interest in the news, with several questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their search, explained that notwithstanding first skepticism, he found the plan "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they recognized the atypical aspect of their request, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had by then set in".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", Adam answered. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the elder child had absorbed "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family told Adam they hoped to prevent this pattern to recur with their younger child.
The intention: To hire a English tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the learning at the start here is kind of acquired indirectly," stated the CEO.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will adopt the UK customs they wish to impart.
He said the tutor had to be somebody who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in horse riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and music so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
More than that though, he stated the family desired the tutor to register the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, assisting their son develop into a "English gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and open doors.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he adds.
However, despite all this guidance in "English culture", might the child adopt so-called cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he lives with in any case?
"Certainly", answered Adam. "The parents know this could fail, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'we should try and we should start as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he stated.
Impractical
A number of in the tutoring industry who have similar concerns.
Another CEO, chief executive of a tutoring service, who provides private tutors, wrote that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
The expert noted that he had moved from the Far East to the UK at the time of childhood, and had been educated understanding and living dual heritages. He continued to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that a single person can serve as a embodiment of English culture, an individual who can possibly transplant the characteristics of a British gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, strikes me as idealistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"From my perspective, employing a quintessentially British tutor from early childhood will will not automatically create the outcome they want.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and however I have been lucky enough to experience several of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, cultural identity can not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, Britishness is something the CEO believes can be taught – and marketed.
"I believe the situation that the international society regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
