"Parents located in the northern part of London wants to find an remarkable and qualified tutor to support their most junior child on his early path to growing into an English gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might easily miss the phrase "initial stages" as simple a turn of phrase.
But, it may be the most significant aspect of this distinctive job advert, as it seeks to find a teacher for a one-year-old.
Numerous of submissions have now been submitted since the unnamed family advertised their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the post has attracted notice throughout the news, with several questioning why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their quest, explained that in spite of initial scepticism, he found the idea "visionary", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he said they appreciated the atypical nature of their requirement, and how young their son is.
However, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already become established".
What exactly did the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert answered. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the older sibling had absorbed "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family informed Adam they wished to avoid the same situation to recur with their younger child.
The plan: To hire a British tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the development at the outset here is rather absorbed naturally," explained the expert.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will pick up the English characteristics they wish to instil.
Adam said the tutor must be someone who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed the expert the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or interest in riding, winter sports, creative fields and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a wide range of interests.
More than that though, he said the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son grow into a "English gentleman" will result in accomplishment and open doors.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he comments.
Yet, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "English culture", could the child adopt what is termed cultural leaning from the multicultural family he is raised by in any case?
"Certainly", answered Adam. "The parents realize this could fail, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he explained.
Impractical
Several in the private teaching field who have these doubts.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who supplies personal educators, commented that "the process of becoming bicultural, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
Peter wrote that he had relocated from Asia to the UK at the time of childhood, and had been raised knowing and practicing both cultures. He continued to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that a single person can function as a representation of Britishness, a person who can possibly transfer the characteristics of a British gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, appears optimistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"Based on my background, having a quintessentially English tutor from infancy will does not instantly create the outcome they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to experience numerous of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, cultural identity should not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, UK identity is something Adam hopes can be taught – and marketed.
"In my view the fact that the international society holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
