"A household residing in the northern part of London is looking for an exceptional and skilled instructor to assist their smallest child on his initial journey to becoming an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might easily miss the phrase "beginning" as mere figurative language.
But, it could be the most important part of this unusual employment listing, as it attempts to find a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Many of applications have since been submitted since the unnamed family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the post has attracted interest throughout the news, with many asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, head and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their hunt, explained that despite early scepticism, he found the plan "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he noted they appreciated the unusual nature of their request, and how early in age their son is.
But, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had by then taken hold".
What exactly did the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", the expert responded. "How you eat, how you speak".
He said the older sibling had adopted "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family explained to him they hoped to prevent the same situation to repeat itself with their younger child.
The intention: To bring in a British tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the education at the beginning here is rather absorbed naturally," stated the CEO.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will adopt the English characteristics they want to impart.
The consultant explained the tutor must be somebody who went to "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed him the successful candidate should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to influence the child in a wide range of interests.
Additionally though, he said the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son grow into a "English gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and open doors.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he comments.
Yet, notwithstanding all this instruction in "Britishness", would the child absorb so-called cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he resides with anyway?
"Yes", replied Adam. "The family know this may not work, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as early as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the education sector who express similar doubts.
An education leader, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who provides individual instructors, wrote that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
Peter explained that he had moved from China to the Britain at the time of 7 years old, and had been educated knowing and living both cultures. He continued to study at Cambridge University.
"The notion that an individual can act as a representation of Britishness, a person who can possibly transfer the qualities of a UK sophisticate onto a 12-month-old child, strikes me as optimistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"From my perspective, engaging a distinctly English tutor from babyhood will not necessarily create the outcome they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to live several of the situations they desire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, personal identity cannot be forced from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, Britishness is something Adam thinks can be instructed – and marketed.
"I think the reality that the international society holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating