"Parents based in north London wants to find an extraordinary and skilled tutor to assist their smallest child on his early path to turning into an British gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might readily skip the wording "initial stages" as simple a turn of phrase.
However, it could be the most significant part of this unusual job advert, as it attempts to hire a mentor for a infant.
Hundreds of responses have already been submitted since the unnamed family posted their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the post has attracted attention throughout the press, with several wondering why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their search, explained that in spite of early scepticism, he found the concept "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they understood the unconventional aspect of their demand, and how immature their son is.
But, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had by then set in".
What exactly does the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", he responded. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He stated the firstborn had adopted "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family informed him they wished to avoid this pattern to recur with their infant.
The strategy: To hire a UK tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the development at the beginning here is kind of acquired indirectly," stated the CEO.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will adopt the UK customs they want to cultivate.
Adam explained the tutor must be someone who went to "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Money No Object
The family explained to Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in riding, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
More than that though, he explained the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a range of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son develop into a "British gentleman" will lead to achievement and open doors.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he adds.
However, notwithstanding all this guidance in "English culture", could the child pick up so-called cultural bias from the globally influenced family he is raised by anyway?
"Certainly", replied Adam. "The family know this could fail, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'we should try and let's go as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he said.
Impractical
There are some in the education sector who share similar concerns.
Another CEO, chief executive of an educational organization, who supplies private tutors, stated that "the development of embracing two identities, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
He wrote that he had moved from Asia to the UK at the period of 7 years old, and had been educated knowing and practicing dual heritages. He went on to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that an individual can function as a living vessel of English culture, someone who can in some way impart the qualities of a English gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, strikes me as idealistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"From my perspective, having a distinctly English tutor from early childhood will will not automatically achieve the outcome they desire.
"I never had such a tutor, and however I have been privileged enough to enjoy several of the experiences they hope for their son."
He added: "The reality is, self-identity cannot be forced from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, English culture is something Adam believes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I think the fact that the international society views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
