"Parents based in the northern part of London is looking for an exceptional and qualified educator to guide their youngest child on his first steps to growing into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might naturally overlook the term "initial stages" as mere figurative language.
But, it could be the most important part of this unique position posting, as it aims to hire a mentor for a infant.
Many of responses have now been sent in since the anonymous family posted their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the listing has attracted interest in the press, with many wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their search, stated that notwithstanding initial scepticism, he found the concept "visionary", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he noted they recognized the unconventional aspect of their requirement, and how young their son is.
But, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural influence had by then taken hold".
But what does the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert replied. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He stated the firstborn had adopted "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family explained to Adam they wished to avoid this pattern to recur with their younger child.
The plan: To hire a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the learning at the beginning here is rather acquired indirectly," stated the CEO.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will acquire the English characteristics they aim to instil.
Adam said the tutor must be an individual who attended "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed him the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in horse riding, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a wide range of passions.
Furthermore though, he said the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a range of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will lead to accomplishment and create opportunities.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he comments.
But, despite all this tutelage in "English culture", would the child absorb so-called cultural influence from the globally influenced family he is raised by in any case?
"Certainly", replied he. "The family understand this could fail, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he said.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the education sector who express those concerns.
Peter Cui, chief executive of an educational organization, who also offer individual instructors, stated that "the journey of embracing two identities, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
Peter wrote that he had emigrated from China to the United Kingdom at the period of 7 years old, and had been brought up understanding and embodying dual heritages. He continued to learn at Cambridge University.
"The notion that one individual can act as a living vessel of Britishness, someone who can somehow impart the attributes of a British gentleman to a infant child, strikes me as naive and impractical," he wrote.
"In my experience, engaging a quintessentially British tutor from infancy will will not necessarily achieve the outcome they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and yet I have been lucky enough to enjoy numerous of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, personal identity cannot be imposed from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, English culture is something Adam thinks can be educated – and commercialized.
"I think the fact that the world holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
