"Parents located in the northern part of London is looking for an extraordinary and qualified tutor to assist their smallest child on his initial journey to becoming an English gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might readily overlook the phrase "initial stages" as mere a turn of phrase.
But, it may be the most significant aspect of this distinctive position posting, as it aims to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of submissions have now been submitted since the anonymous family posted their request for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the listing has gained notice across the press, with several asking why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, chief executive of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their hunt, said that notwithstanding initial doubt, he found the idea "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they understood the unconventional aspect of their demand, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already set in".
What precisely did the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", he answered. "How you eat, how you speak".
He explained the older sibling had adopted "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family explained to him they hoped to prevent history to happen again with their new baby.
The intention: To hire a English tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the education at the beginning here is rather osmotic," explained Adam.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will acquire the British traits they wish to instil.
He said the tutor needed to be someone who went to "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Money No Object
The family informed him the successful candidate should preferably also have familiarity of or interest in riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
More than that though, he said the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a range of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will lead to success and open doors.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he adds.
Yet, despite all this instruction in "English culture", might the child absorb so-called cultural bias from the globally influenced family he lives with regardless?
"Absolutely", answered he. "They know this could fail, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'we should try and let's go as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he stated.
Impractical
There are some in the education sector who express those doubts.
Another CEO, head and founder of a tutoring service, who provides personal educators, wrote that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
He noted that he had relocated from China to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised knowing and practicing both cultures. He progressed to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that an individual can serve as a embodiment of English culture, an individual who can in some way transplant the characteristics of a British gentleman upon a infant child, seems to me idealistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"From my perspective, employing a distinctly English tutor from babyhood will will not necessarily create the goal they hope for.
"I did not have such a figure, and however I have been fortunate enough to enjoy numerous of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, cultural identity cannot be dictated from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the expert hopes can be educated – and marketed.
"In my view the situation that the international society views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
