"Parents located in North London is looking for an remarkable and experienced educator to support their smallest child on his initial journey to becoming an English gentleman."
When reading this post, you might naturally skip the phrase "beginning" as mere figurative language.
Yet, it could be the most important aspect of this distinctive job advert, as it aims to find a tutor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of submissions have already been submitted since the unnamed family advertised their request for the highly paid tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has gained attention across the media, with many wondering why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their quest, said that in spite of initial doubt, he found the plan "visionary", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he noted they appreciated the atypical nature of their demand, and how young their son is.
But, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had by then set in".
What precisely did the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert answered. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He said the elder child had absorbed "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family informed the consultant they wished to avoid this pattern to happen again with their new baby.
The plan: To bring in a British tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the learning at the start here is somewhat acquired indirectly," said the expert.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will pick up the English characteristics they want to instil.
Adam explained the tutor must be someone who studied at "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told Adam the successful candidate should preferably also have understanding of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a wide range of hobbies.
More than that though, he said the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a range of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son grow into a "British gentleman" will lead to success and open doors.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he comments.
However, despite all this tutelage in "Britishness", would the child adopt what is termed cultural bias from the globally influenced family he is raised by anyway?
"Yes", said he. "The parents know this could fail, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as soon as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he said.
Impractical
There are some in the private teaching field who express these reservations.
An education leader, head and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer personal educators, wrote that "the development of embracing two identities, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
The expert explained that he had emigrated from the Far East to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been educated knowing and living two backgrounds. He progressed to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The idea that a single person can function as a representation of UK identity, an individual who can possibly transfer the qualities of a British gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, seems to me optimistic and impractical," he wrote.
"From my perspective, employing a typically UK tutor from infancy will not automatically achieve the outcome they want.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and however I have been fortunate enough to live several of the situations they desire for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, personal identity should not be forced from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, UK identity is something Adam believes can be taught – and sold.
"In my view the reality that the international society views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
