"A family located in North London seeks an extraordinary and qualified educator to assist their smallest child on his initial journey to growing into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might readily miss the term "initial stages" as mere a turn of phrase.
Yet, it may be the crucial part of this distinctive employment listing, as it aims to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Many of submissions have already been sent in since the unidentified family published their search for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the listing has attracted notice in the press, with many asking why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their quest, stated that despite early scepticism, he found the idea "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they appreciated the atypical nature of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already taken hold".
What exactly did the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", Adam replied. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He explained the firstborn had absorbed "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family explained to Adam they did not want the same situation to recur with their infant.
The intention: To engage a British tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the learning at the start here is rather absorbed naturally," stated Adam.
It's through this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will acquire the British traits they aim to cultivate.
The consultant explained the tutor needed to be somebody who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Money No Object
The family informed him the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in horse riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to shape the child in a wide range of hobbies.
Additionally though, he said the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son develop into a "English gentleman" will result in success and open doors.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he comments.
However, despite all this instruction in "Britishness", might the child absorb so-called cultural leaning from the international family he is raised by regardless?
"Yes", said Adam. "They realize this could fail, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the private teaching field who have those reservations.
Peter Cui, head and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer personal educators, commented that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
The expert noted that he had relocated from China to the Britain at the age of 7 years old, and had been brought up knowing and embodying both cultures. He continued to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that an individual can function as a representation of UK identity, an individual who can somehow impart the qualities of a British gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, seems to me optimistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"Based on my background, having a distinctly UK tutor from infancy will not instantly achieve the goal they want.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and yet I have been lucky enough to enjoy many of the situations they desire for their son."
He stated: "The reality is, personal identity cannot be imposed from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, English culture is something Adam hopes can be instructed – and marketed.
"I believe the situation that the international society regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
