"A household residing in the northern part of London wants to find an remarkable and experienced educator to support their youngest child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might readily skip the term "initial stages" as just figurative language.
But, it may be the most significant part of this unusual employment listing, as it aims to recruit a mentor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of submissions have already been sent in since the unidentified family advertised their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has received notice in the media, with several asking why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, chief executive of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their search, explained that despite early scepticism, he viewed the plan "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he said they recognized the atypical aspect of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had by then taken hold".
What precisely does the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", he responded. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the older sibling had picked up "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family told him they did not want history to happen again with their infant.
The strategy: To bring in a English tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the education at the start here is kind of absorbed naturally," said the expert.
It's through this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will adopt the British traits they want to impart.
The consultant said the tutor needed to be somebody who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in riding, skiing, the arts and music so as to shape the child in a diverse set of interests.
Additionally though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son grow into a "English gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and provide access.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he notes.
However, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "English culture", could the child absorb so-called cultural influence from the multicultural family he lives with in any case?
"Absolutely", replied Adam. "They know this may not work, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as early as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the tutoring industry who share similar concerns.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer individual instructors, wrote that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
The expert explained that he had moved from China to the UK at the time of seven, and had been educated experiencing and living two backgrounds. He went on to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that an individual can serve as a living vessel of Britishness, someone who can in some way transplant the qualities of a English gentleman to a one-year-old child, appears naive and impractical," he commented.
"Based on my background, employing a typically British tutor from infancy will will not automatically create the outcome they hope for.
"I did not have such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to experience numerous of the situations they desire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, cultural identity can not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, English culture is something the CEO hopes can be educated – and sold.
"In my view the situation that the world views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
