"Parents located in north London is looking for an remarkable and skilled tutor to assist their most junior child on his early path to becoming an English gentleman."
When reading this post, you might readily overlook the wording "initial stages" as simple a turn of phrase.
Yet, it might be the most significant element of this unusual job advert, as it aims to find a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of submissions have already been received since the anonymous family published their call for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has received attention in the media, with several questioning why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their hunt, stated that in spite of first doubt, he viewed the concept "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they understood the unusual aspect of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
However, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already set in".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam answered. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He explained the elder child had absorbed "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family informed the consultant they hoped to prevent the same situation to recur with their new baby.
The intention: To hire a UK tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the learning at the start here is rather osmotic," stated the expert.
It's via this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will acquire the English characteristics they aim to instil.
He noted the tutor had to be somebody who studied at "prestigious academies – 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 performing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed him the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in horse riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a wide range of hobbies.
Additionally though, he said the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son develop into a "English gentleman" will bring about success and create opportunities.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he adds.
Yet, notwithstanding all this guidance in "English culture", could the child adopt alleged cultural leaning from the multicultural family he is raised by in any case?
"Yes", replied he. "They know this could fail, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the tutoring industry who have these reservations.
Another CEO, chief executive of Blue Education, who provides private tutors, wrote that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
He explained that he had relocated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the age of 7 years old, and had been brought up understanding and practicing two backgrounds. He progressed to study at Cambridge University.
"The idea that one individual can function as a embodiment of UK identity, someone who can in some way transfer the qualities of a UK sophisticate to a one-year-old child, strikes me as idealistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"From my perspective, employing a typically British tutor from infancy will does not automatically produce the outcome they hope for.
"I did not have such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to live several of the experiences they desire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, cultural identity can not be dictated from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, UK identity is something Adam hopes can be educated – and commercialized.
"In my view the situation that the international society views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
