"A household residing in the northern part of London is looking for an exceptional and experienced educator to assist their smallest child on his initial journey to turning into an English gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might easily skip the term "beginning" as simple figurative language.
Yet, it could be the most significant part of this unique employment listing, as it aims to recruit a mentor for a one-year-old.
Numerous of responses have since been submitted since the unnamed family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the listing has received interest in the news, with many questioning why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their quest, stated that in spite of first skepticism, he viewed the idea "visionary", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he noted they appreciated the unconventional nature of their request, and how young their son is.
But, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already set in".
But what did the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert replied. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the firstborn had picked up "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family explained to Adam they hoped to prevent the same situation to recur with their infant.
The strategy: To bring in a UK tutor, who must speak with RP, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the learning at the outset here is kind of osmotic," said Adam.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will adopt the English characteristics they wish to instil.
The consultant said the tutor needed to be someone who attended "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to him the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to influence the child in a diverse set of interests.
Additionally though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a range 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 minds, helping their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will result in success and provide access.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he notes.
However, despite all this instruction in "UK identity", could the child adopt what is termed cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he is raised by anyway?
"Absolutely", answered the CEO. "The family realize this could fail, but they've just taken the view of, 'we should try and let's go as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he stated.
Impractical
A number of in the tutoring industry who share those doubts.
An education leader, chief executive of a tutoring service, who also offer individual instructors, wrote that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
Peter wrote that he had emigrated from the Far East to the Britain at the time of 7 years old, and had been brought up understanding and embodying two backgrounds. He went on to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that a single person can act as a living vessel of Britishness, a person who can in some way transplant the attributes of a British gentleman to a infant child, seems to me idealistic and impractical," he stated.
"In my experience, employing a distinctly English tutor from infancy will does not instantly achieve the outcome they hope for.
"I never had such a tutor, and yet I have been privileged enough to enjoy several of the experiences they hope for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, self-identity should not be dictated from the outside; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Of course, English culture is something Adam hopes can be educated – and commercialized.
"I believe the fact that the world regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
