"A household based in north London wants to find an extraordinary and experienced instructor to guide their smallest child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might easily miss the wording "beginning" as just an expression.
But, it might be the most important aspect of this unique position posting, as it seeks to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Many of applications have since been submitted since the unnamed family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the advert has attracted attention throughout the news, with numerous wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their quest, stated that notwithstanding initial skepticism, he viewed the idea "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unusual aspect of their demand, and how young their son is.
However, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already taken hold".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", he replied. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He stated the firstborn had absorbed "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family explained to Adam they hoped to prevent the same situation to recur with their younger child.
The plan: To engage a British tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the development at the beginning here is kind of acquired indirectly," stated the expert.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will acquire the UK customs they aim to impart.
He explained the tutor must be an individual who went to "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Money No Object
The family informed Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or interest in equestrian activities, skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a wide range of passions.
Additionally though, he stated the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son become a "British gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and open doors.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he adds.
But, despite all this instruction in "UK identity", might the child absorb alleged cultural influence from the international family he resides with in any case?
"Absolutely", said the CEO. "The parents understand this may not work, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the private teaching field who express similar concerns.
An education leader, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who provides private tutors, wrote that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
Peter wrote that he had relocated from China to the UK at the age of seven, and had been brought up knowing and embodying dual heritages. He progressed to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The concept that a single person can act as a representation of Britishness, a person who can in some way impart the attributes of a British gentleman to a infant child, appears naive and unfeasible," he wrote.
"Based on my background, engaging a typically UK tutor from early childhood will not instantly achieve the result they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to enjoy many of the situations they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, personal identity can not be dictated from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, UK identity is something the expert thinks can be educated – and commercialized.
"I believe the reality that the world views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
