"A family residing in the northern part of London is looking for an exceptional and experienced educator to guide their youngest child on his first steps to turning into an English gentleman."
When reading this post, you might naturally miss the phrase "initial stages" as just figurative language.
But, it may be the most important aspect of this unusual job advert, as it attempts to hire a tutor for a one-year-old.
Numerous of submissions have already been submitted since the unnamed family advertised their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the advert has gained notice in the press, with numerous wondering why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their quest, stated that despite early doubt, he viewed the idea "visionary", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they understood the unconventional nature of their demand, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already taken hold".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", he replied. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the firstborn had absorbed "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family informed him they wished to avoid history to happen again with their younger child.
The intention: To hire a English tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the learning at the outset here is rather acquired indirectly," explained Adam.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will pick up the English characteristics they wish to instil.
He noted the tutor had to be somebody who studied at "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator must be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in riding, winter sports, creative fields and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
More than that though, he stated the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son develop into a "British gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and open doors.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he notes.
Yet, notwithstanding all this guidance in "UK identity", could the child adopt what is termed cultural bias from the multicultural family he lives with anyway?
"Certainly", answered he. "The parents understand this may not work, but they've just taken the view of, 'we should try and we should start as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the private teaching field who have these reservations.
Peter Cui, head and founder of Blue Education, who also offer individual instructors, commented that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
Peter noted that he had relocated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the age of childhood, and had been educated understanding and practicing both cultures. He went on to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that one individual can act as a embodiment of Britishness, a person who can possibly impart the attributes of a English gentleman to a 12-month-old child, appears naive and impractical," he stated.
"In my experience, engaging a quintessentially UK tutor from early childhood will not necessarily achieve the result they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to live many of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, personal identity should not be imposed from the outside; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, English culture is something Adam believes can be educated – and commercialized.
"I think the reality that the world holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
