"A household residing in north London is looking for an exceptional and skilled instructor to support their smallest child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might readily miss the phrase "beginning" as simple a turn of phrase.
However, it may be the most significant part of this unique position posting, as it attempts to hire a mentor for a one-year-old.
Many of applications have now been received since the anonymous family advertised their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the listing has gained interest in the news, with many questioning why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, head and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their search, explained that in spite of initial doubt, he considered the plan "visionary", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they recognized the unusual nature of their request, and how immature their son is.
But, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had already become established".
But what did the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam replied. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He said the firstborn had absorbed "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family told Adam they hoped to prevent the same situation to repeat itself with their younger child.
The strategy: To bring in a British tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the learning at the start here is rather acquired indirectly," stated the CEO.
It's through this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will pick up the British traits they aim to impart.
He noted the tutor had to be an individual who went to "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told Adam the chosen tutor should preferably also have understanding of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, skiing, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to influence the child in a wide range of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son become a "English gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and open doors.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he notes.
Yet, despite all this instruction in "Britishness", could the child adopt so-called cultural influence from the globally influenced family he lives with in any case?
"Certainly", answered Adam. "The family understand this could fail, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he said.
Impractical
A number of in the tutoring industry who have these concerns.
An education leader, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who also offer individual instructors, commented that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
He wrote that he had relocated from China to the Britain at the time of 7 years old, and had been brought up experiencing and embodying dual heritages. He went on to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that a single person can function as a living vessel of English culture, a person who can possibly transplant the attributes of a British gentleman to a 12-month-old child, strikes me as idealistic and impractical," he commented.
"In my experience, having a distinctly English tutor from infancy will not instantly create the outcome they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and however I have been fortunate enough to live numerous of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, personal identity cannot be imposed from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, UK identity is something Adam believes can be taught – and commercialized.
"In my view the reality that the global community holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
