"A family residing in north London seeks an extraordinary and experienced instructor to assist their most junior child on his first steps to becoming an English gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might readily skip the term "beginning" as just figurative language.
Yet, it may be the most important element of this distinctive position posting, as it aims to hire a mentor for a one-year-old.
Numerous of submissions have since been sent in since the unidentified family posted their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the advert has attracted interest in the media, with numerous asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their hunt, said that notwithstanding initial doubt, he considered the concept "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he mentioned they recognized the unconventional aspect of their demand, and how young their son is.
However, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already set in".
What precisely does the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", the expert answered. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He said the firstborn had picked up "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family informed Adam they hoped to prevent history to recur with their infant.
The intention: To engage a English tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the education at the outset here is kind of osmotic," said the expert.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will adopt the UK customs they aim to cultivate.
He noted the tutor must be somebody who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of interests.
Additionally though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son grow into a "English gentleman" will result in accomplishment and open doors.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he adds.
Yet, in spite of all this instruction in "UK identity", might the child pick up alleged cultural influence from the globally influenced family he is raised by anyway?
"Yes", answered the CEO. "The parents realize this could fail, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he said.
Impractical
Several in the education sector who have these reservations.
Another CEO, head and founder of an educational organization, who supplies private tutors, commented that "the development of becoming bicultural, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
He wrote that he had moved from China to the United Kingdom at the age of 7 years old, and had been brought up experiencing and living both cultures. He progressed to study at Cambridge University.
"The concept that a single person can act as a living vessel of UK identity, someone who can possibly transfer the attributes of a English gentleman to a 12-month-old child, strikes me as optimistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"Based on my background, having a distinctly UK tutor from infancy will not necessarily produce the goal they want.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and however I have been privileged enough to experience several of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, cultural identity can not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, Britishness is something Adam thinks can be educated – and commercialized.
"In my view the fact that the world views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
