"A family residing in North London seeks an exceptional and skilled educator to assist their youngest child on his initial journey to becoming an English gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might readily miss the phrase "initial stages" as simple figurative language.
However, it might be the most important part of this distinctive position posting, as it aims to find a tutor for a infant.
Many of responses have now been sent in since the anonymous family advertised their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has gained interest across the press, with several asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their search, said that despite first skepticism, he found the concept "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he said they appreciated the unusual nature of their requirement, and how young their son is.
But, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already become established".
What exactly does the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam responded. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the older sibling had adopted "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family informed him they hoped to prevent this pattern to repeat itself with their new baby.
The strategy: To engage a British tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the learning at the beginning here is rather absorbed naturally," said Adam.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will pick up the UK customs they aim to cultivate.
He said the tutor needed to be an individual who studied at "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, winter sports, the arts and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
Furthermore though, he said the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son grow into a "British gentleman" will result in accomplishment and provide access.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he adds.
But, in spite of all this instruction in "Britishness", would the child pick up so-called cultural bias from the international family he resides with in any case?
"Yes", said the CEO. "They understand this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he said.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the education sector who express those reservations.
An education leader, head and founder of Blue Education, who supplies individual instructors, stated that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
The expert noted that he had emigrated from China to the Britain at the age of childhood, and had been brought up understanding and living dual heritages. He went on to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that a single person can serve as a embodiment of English culture, a person who can somehow impart the qualities of a UK sophisticate upon a infant child, seems to me naive and unfeasible," he wrote.
"Based on my background, engaging a distinctly UK tutor from babyhood will will not necessarily achieve the outcome they want.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to enjoy several of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, self-identity can not be forced from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, English culture is something Adam hopes can be taught – and marketed.
"In my view the situation that the world views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
