"Parents located in the northern part of London is looking for an extraordinary and skilled instructor to assist their youngest child on his first steps to becoming an British gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might easily miss the wording "initial stages" as just an expression.
However, it could be the crucial aspect of this unusual employment listing, as it attempts to hire a tutor for a infant.
Numerous of applications have since been submitted since the unnamed family published their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the post has gained notice in the media, with many asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their search, stated that in spite of early skepticism, he viewed the concept "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he mentioned they understood the atypical character of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
But, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural bias had by then taken hold".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam replied. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He explained the firstborn had picked up "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family informed him they wished to avoid this pattern to repeat itself with their younger child.
The strategy: To engage a English tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the development at the start here is somewhat absorbed naturally," stated Adam.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will pick up the UK customs they wish to impart.
The consultant said the tutor needed to be an individual who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told him the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in horse riding, skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a wide range of passions.
Furthermore though, he explained the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son develop into a "English gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and open doors.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he notes.
However, notwithstanding all this instruction in "Britishness", would the child absorb what is termed cultural influence from the international family he resides with regardless?
"Absolutely", replied the CEO. "The parents understand this might not succeed, but they've just taken the view of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the education sector who share these concerns.
Peter Cui, head and founder of Blue Education, who also offer private tutors, commented that "the journey of embracing two identities, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
He explained that he had emigrated from the Far East to the UK at the time of 7 years old, and had been raised experiencing and practicing two backgrounds. He progressed to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that an individual can function as a representation of English culture, a person who can possibly transplant the attributes of a British gentleman upon a one-year-old child, strikes me as naive and unfeasible," he wrote.
"From my perspective, engaging a distinctly UK tutor from infancy will not instantly achieve the result they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and however I have been privileged enough to live many of the situations they desire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, personal identity cannot be dictated from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Of course, English culture is something Adam believes can be taught – and commercialized.
"In my view the situation that the international society regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
