"A household residing in North London wants to find an remarkable and qualified tutor to support their smallest child on his first steps to turning into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might readily miss the phrase "initial stages" as simple a turn of phrase.
But, it could be the crucial part of this unusual position posting, as it seeks to recruit a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of responses have now been sent in since the unnamed family advertised their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the listing has attracted notice across the media, with several questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their hunt, explained that notwithstanding early doubt, he viewed the plan "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unusual nature of their request, and how young their son is.
But, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural influence had by then become established".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", he responded. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the older sibling had picked up "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family explained to him they wished to avoid the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To bring in a UK tutor, who should speak with RP, to influence the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the education at the outset here is kind of osmotic," stated the CEO.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will acquire the British traits they want to impart.
The consultant noted the tutor had to be someone who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family aspire 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, just naturally," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in equestrian activities, skiing, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to shape the child in a wide range of passions.
Furthermore though, he explained the family desired the tutor to register the child on a range of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son become a "UK sophisticate" will bring about success and open doors.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he adds.
However, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "UK identity", could the child adopt alleged cultural influence from the multicultural family he resides with anyway?
"Certainly", answered the CEO. "The parents know this may not work, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as early as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the tutoring industry who express these doubts.
Peter Cui, head and founder of an educational organization, who provides private tutors, stated that "the process of becoming bicultural, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
The expert wrote that he had relocated from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the age of childhood, and had been raised experiencing and embodying two backgrounds. He progressed to learn at Cambridge University.
"The concept that an individual can act as a living vessel of English culture, an individual who can possibly transfer the qualities of a UK sophisticate upon a one-year-old child, appears idealistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"Based on my background, having a distinctly English tutor from early childhood will not instantly produce the result they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to experience several of the experiences they desire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, self-identity should not be forced from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, English culture is something the expert believes can be educated – and commercialized.
"I think the situation that the world holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
