"A household residing in north London wants to find an remarkable and skilled instructor to support their smallest child on his initial journey to turning into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might naturally miss the phrase "initial stages" as mere an expression.
But, it may be the most significant part of this distinctive employment listing, as it attempts to recruit a tutor for a infant.
Hundreds of responses have already been sent in since the unidentified family published their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has gained notice in the media, with many questioning why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, head and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their hunt, said that notwithstanding early doubt, he considered the idea "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he noted they understood the atypical aspect of their demand, and how young their son is.
But, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already set in".
What precisely does the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", Adam replied. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the elder child had adopted "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family explained to the consultant they did not want the same situation to recur with their younger child.
The plan: To engage a English tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the development at the start here is kind of absorbed naturally," said Adam.
It's through this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will acquire the British traits they wish to impart.
He noted the tutor had to be somebody who went to "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in horse riding, winter sports, creative fields and musical activities so as to influence the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a range of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, assisting their son grow into a "British gentleman" will result in accomplishment and provide access.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he comments.
But, in spite of all this guidance in "Britishness", would the child pick up what is termed cultural leaning from the international family he is raised by in any case?
"Certainly", answered Adam. "They realize this may not work, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as early as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who share those concerns.
Peter Cui, head and founder of an educational organization, who supplies personal educators, stated that "the development of embracing two identities, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
The expert wrote that he had relocated from China to the UK at the age of seven, and had been raised knowing and practicing two backgrounds. He continued to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The concept that one individual can function as a embodiment of Britishness, someone who can in some way transplant the characteristics of a UK sophisticate onto a 12-month-old child, appears naive and unrealistic," he stated.
"In my experience, employing a quintessentially British tutor from babyhood will not automatically achieve the goal they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to enjoy many of the experiences they desire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, personal identity cannot be imposed from the outside; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, English culture is something the CEO thinks can be instructed – and marketed.
"In my view the situation that the global community views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
