"Parents located in the northern part of London is looking for an extraordinary and skilled educator to guide their youngest child on his first steps to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might easily skip the phrase "first-steps" as mere a turn of phrase.
Yet, it may be the most significant part of this unusual employment listing, as it seeks to recruit a tutor for a infant.
Many of applications have since been sent in since the unnamed family posted their search for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the listing has gained interest throughout the media, with several questioning why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their search, stated that notwithstanding early skepticism, he considered the plan "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he said they appreciated the unusual character of their demand, and how young their son is.
However, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had by then taken hold".
What exactly does the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", he replied. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He said the elder child had adopted "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family informed Adam they hoped to prevent this pattern to repeat itself with their new baby.
The intention: To bring in a British tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the education at the outset here is kind of osmotic," stated the CEO.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will pick up the British traits they want to impart.
The consultant explained the tutor had to be an individual who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or passion in horse riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of passions.
More than that though, he said the family desired the tutor to register the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son grow into a "British gentleman" will result in success and open doors.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he adds.
But, despite all this tutelage in "UK identity", might the child adopt alleged cultural leaning from the multicultural family he is raised by regardless?
"Certainly", answered Adam. "The parents understand this could fail, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'we should try and we should start as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he said.
Impractical
Several in the education sector who express these reservations.
An education leader, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who supplies private tutors, wrote that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
Peter noted that he had moved from China to the Britain at the time of 7 years old, and had been brought up understanding and living both cultures. He went on to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that one individual can serve as a embodiment of English culture, an individual who can in some way transfer the attributes of a UK sophisticate onto a 12-month-old child, strikes me as idealistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"In my experience, engaging a quintessentially UK tutor from early childhood will not instantly create the goal they hope for.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and however I have been fortunate enough to live many of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, personal identity cannot be dictated from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, Britishness is something the expert believes can be instructed – and marketed.
"I believe the fact that the world regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
