"A family located in the northern part of London wants to find an exceptional and experienced tutor to assist their most junior child on his early path to becoming an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might easily miss the term "initial stages" as just a turn of phrase.
Yet, it could be the most significant part of this unique job advert, as it aims to recruit a teacher for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of applications have since been sent in since the unidentified family advertised their request for the highly paid tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the advert has attracted notice throughout the press, with many asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, head and founder of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their quest, stated that despite early scepticism, he viewed the plan "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he said they understood the unusual aspect of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
However, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already set in".
But what did the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert responded. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the firstborn had picked up "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family explained to the consultant they did not want history to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To engage a English tutor, who must speak with RP, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the development at the outset here is kind of absorbed naturally," stated the CEO.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will acquire the British traits they wish to instil.
Adam explained the tutor had to be an individual who went to "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator must be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to him the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or interest in horse riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Additionally though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will result in success and open doors.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he adds.
However, notwithstanding all this instruction in "English culture", might the child absorb so-called cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he resides with in any case?
"Certainly", replied Adam. "The family understand this may not work, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'we should try and we should start as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the private teaching field who have those concerns.
Another CEO, chief executive of Blue Education, who supplies private tutors, commented that "the development of becoming bicultural, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
Peter noted that he had relocated from the Far East to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised knowing and living both cultures. He went on to study at Cambridge University.
"The idea that one individual can act as a embodiment of English culture, someone who can possibly transplant the qualities of a British gentleman to a one-year-old child, seems to me optimistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"From my perspective, having a quintessentially English tutor from babyhood will not necessarily achieve the result they desire.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to experience many of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, cultural identity should not be dictated from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, English culture is something the CEO hopes can be educated – and sold.
"I believe the reality that the global community holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
