"A family based in North London wants to find an exceptional and qualified educator to support their youngest child on his early path to turning into an English gentleman."
When reading this post, you might naturally skip the wording "initial stages" as mere a turn of phrase.
But, it could be the most significant part of this unusual position posting, as it seeks to find a tutor for a infant.
Hundreds of responses have now been received since the unnamed family advertised their search for the highly paid tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the advert has gained attention throughout the press, with several questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, head and founder of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their hunt, stated that despite first scepticism, he considered the plan "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he said they appreciated the atypical aspect of their request, and how young their son is.
But, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already become established".
But what did the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", he answered. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He stated the firstborn had absorbed "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family told him they wished to avoid history to repeat itself with their new baby.
The plan: To bring in a UK tutor, who must speak with RP, to guide the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the development at the outset here is rather absorbed naturally," stated Adam.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will pick up the English characteristics they aim to cultivate.
Adam said the tutor had to be someone who attended "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in riding, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he said the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son become a "English gentleman" will lead to achievement and open doors.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he adds.
But, notwithstanding all this guidance in "Britishness", could the child adopt what is termed cultural bias from the globally influenced family he is raised by in any case?
"Yes", said he. "The parents know this could fail, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he stated.
Impractical
Several in the education sector who express similar reservations.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who also offer private tutors, wrote that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
The expert noted that he had emigrated from Asia to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been educated knowing and practicing two backgrounds. He went on to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that an individual can function as a living vessel of UK identity, an individual who can possibly transfer the qualities of a UK sophisticate upon a 12-month-old child, appears naive and impractical," he stated.
"Based on my background, having a distinctly UK tutor from early childhood will will not necessarily produce the goal they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and yet I have been lucky enough to enjoy many of the situations they desire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, personal identity can not be dictated from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, UK identity is something the expert hopes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I think the fact that the global community regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
