"A household located in the northern part of London seeks an extraordinary and experienced instructor to assist their youngest child on his early path to turning into an English gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might naturally miss the wording "beginning" as simple a turn of phrase.
Yet, it might be the most important element of this distinctive position posting, as it seeks to recruit a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of responses have since been submitted since the unnamed family advertised their search for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the listing has gained notice across the media, with many questioning why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, head and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their quest, stated that in spite of early scepticism, he found the plan "visionary", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unusual character of their requirement, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained 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 stage "cultural influence had already set in".
But what did the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert responded. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the elder child had picked up "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family informed him they hoped to prevent the same situation to happen again with their infant.
The plan: To bring in a English tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the learning at the outset here is kind of acquired indirectly," explained the CEO.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will pick up the English characteristics they aim to impart.
Adam explained the tutor had to be an individual who attended "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told him the chosen tutor should preferably also have understanding of or interest in riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Furthermore though, he said the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will bring about accomplishment and open doors.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he comments.
But, despite all this tutelage in "UK identity", might the child absorb so-called cultural influence from the multicultural family he is raised by anyway?
"Certainly", said the CEO. "The family understand this may not work, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who express similar doubts.
Peter Cui, chief executive of a tutoring service, who supplies individual instructors, stated that "the process of becoming bicultural, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
Peter wrote that he had relocated from the Far East to the UK at the time of childhood, and had been brought up experiencing and living two backgrounds. He continued to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that a single person can serve as a living vessel of UK identity, a person who can in some way impart the qualities of a UK sophisticate onto a one-year-old child, strikes me as idealistic and impractical," he commented.
"From my perspective, employing a quintessentially British tutor from infancy will not necessarily create the result they want.
"I did not have such a tutor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to enjoy several of the situations they hope for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, self-identity cannot be forced from the outside; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, UK identity is something the expert believes can be taught – and sold.
"In my view the reality that the world views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
