"A family residing in North London seeks an extraordinary and skilled educator to assist their youngest child on his first steps to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might easily miss the wording "first-steps" as simple a turn of phrase.
But, it may be the most important part of this unusual employment listing, as it attempts to hire a teacher for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of responses have already been received since the unidentified family advertised their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has gained attention across the news, with many wondering why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their hunt, explained that notwithstanding early skepticism, he viewed the idea "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he noted they understood the unusual nature of their requirement, and how young their son is.
But, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural influence had by then become established".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam replied. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the firstborn had adopted "extremely delicate, body language" 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 new baby.
The plan: To bring in a English tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the development at the outset here is rather absorbed naturally," stated Adam.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will pick up the British traits they wish to cultivate.
He noted the tutor must be an individual who went to "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Money No Object
The family explained to Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in equestrian activities, winter sports, the arts and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a diverse set of passions.
Additionally though, he said the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will lead to success and provide access.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he notes.
However, in spite of all this instruction in "Britishness", would the child adopt so-called cultural bias from the international family he is raised by regardless?
"Yes", answered the CEO. "They know 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 cost of it is irrelevant," he said.
Impractical
A number of in the tutoring industry who express these reservations.
Peter Cui, chief executive of Blue Education, who provides private tutors, stated that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
Peter wrote that he had emigrated from Asia to the Britain at the time of 7 years old, and had been raised knowing and practicing dual heritages. He progressed to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that a single person can act as a representation of English culture, an individual who can somehow impart the characteristics of a English gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, appears idealistic and unrealistic," he stated.
"From my perspective, employing a distinctly UK tutor from babyhood will will not necessarily achieve the goal they desire.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and yet I have been privileged enough to live several of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The reality is, personal identity can not be forced from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, English culture is something the CEO believes can be instructed – and marketed.
"In my view the fact that the global community views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
