"Parents located in the northern part of London is looking for an remarkable and experienced educator to guide their smallest child on his initial journey to becoming an English gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might easily miss the wording "initial stages" as just a turn of phrase.
However, it could be the most important part of this unusual employment listing, as it seeks to find a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of responses have now been submitted since the unnamed family published their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the post has received notice in the news, with many asking why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their quest, stated that notwithstanding early scepticism, he found the idea "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unusual aspect of their request, and how immature their son is.
But, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already become established".
But what did the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", Adam replied. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the older sibling had absorbed "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family told Adam they hoped to prevent the same situation to recur with their infant.
The intention: To bring in a British tutor, who must speak with RP, to shape the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the education at the start here is somewhat osmotic," explained the expert.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will acquire the UK customs they aim to cultivate.
The consultant explained the tutor needed to be an individual who studied at "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to the expert the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in riding, skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to influence the child in a diverse set of interests.
Furthermore though, he explained the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son become a "British gentleman" will bring about achievement and provide access.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he notes.
But, in spite of all this tutelage in "English culture", could the child pick up what is termed cultural bias from the multicultural family he resides with regardless?
"Yes", replied Adam. "They know this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he said.
Impractical
There are some in the tutoring industry who share these reservations.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer individual instructors, wrote that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
Peter noted that he had emigrated from the Far East to the Britain at the period of childhood, and had been educated experiencing and embodying both cultures. He progressed to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that one individual can function as a embodiment of Britishness, an individual who can in some way transplant the qualities of a English gentleman onto a infant child, appears naive and unfeasible," he commented.
"In my experience, engaging a quintessentially UK tutor from infancy will does not necessarily achieve the outcome they hope for.
"I never had such a tutor, and however I have been lucky enough to enjoy numerous of the situations they hope for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, self-identity can not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Of course, English culture is something the expert thinks can be educated – and marketed.
"In my view the situation that the international society holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
