"A family located in north London is looking for an exceptional and qualified educator to guide their most junior child on his first steps to growing into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might naturally miss the wording "first-steps" as mere an expression.
But, it may be the crucial part of this distinctive job advert, as it aims to hire a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of responses have now been sent in since the unidentified family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the post has attracted notice throughout the media, with many asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their search, stated that despite early skepticism, he found the plan "visionary", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they understood the unusual character of their demand, and how immature their son is.
But, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already set in".
What exactly does the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", the expert replied. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He said the elder child had adopted "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family informed the consultant they did not want history to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To hire a English tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the education at the start here is rather acquired indirectly," explained Adam.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will adopt the UK customs they wish to cultivate.
The consultant explained the tutor must be an individual who attended "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
More than that though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a range of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's minds, assisting their son develop into a "British gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and provide access.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he comments.
Yet, despite all this guidance in "Britishness", might the child pick up so-called cultural bias from the globally influenced family he lives with in any case?
"Absolutely", said Adam. "The family realize this may not work, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as soon as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the tutoring industry who have similar doubts.
An education leader, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who also offer private tutors, wrote that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
The expert explained that he had emigrated from Asia to the UK at the time of childhood, and had been raised knowing and living two backgrounds. He continued to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that an individual can function as a representation of English culture, a person who can in some way transfer the characteristics of a British gentleman to a one-year-old child, appears idealistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"From my perspective, engaging a quintessentially British tutor from infancy will does not instantly achieve the goal they want.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and yet I have been privileged enough to live numerous of the situations they hope for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, self-identity can not be imposed from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, UK identity is something Adam thinks can be educated – and marketed.
"I believe the reality that the global community regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
