"Parents based in north London is looking for an extraordinary and skilled tutor to support their most junior child on his first steps to becoming an English gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might readily overlook the phrase "initial stages" as simple figurative language.
Yet, it may be the crucial aspect of this unusual position posting, as it aims to hire a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of submissions have since been received since the unidentified family posted their search for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the post has received notice across the media, with many asking why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their quest, stated that notwithstanding initial scepticism, he considered the idea "visionary", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he noted they understood the atypical character of their request, and how immature their son is.
But, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
But what did the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", he replied. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the elder child had absorbed "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family told him they wished to avoid history to recur with their younger child.
The strategy: To hire a English tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the learning at the beginning here is kind of osmotic," explained the expert.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will adopt the British traits they wish to cultivate.
Adam said the tutor needed to be an individual who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed Adam the chosen tutor should preferably also have familiarity of or interest in horse riding, alpine skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a diverse set of passions.
Additionally though, he explained the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son grow into a "British gentleman" will result in accomplishment and provide access.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he comments.
However, in spite of all this guidance in "English culture", might the child adopt so-called cultural bias from the international family he lives with in any case?
"Absolutely", replied the CEO. "The parents realize this could fail, but they've just taken the view of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he explained.
Impractical
Several in the tutoring industry who share those doubts.
An education leader, chief executive of an educational organization, who also offer personal educators, commented that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
The expert wrote that he had relocated from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the period of childhood, and had been raised knowing and living two backgrounds. He continued to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that an individual can serve as a representation of Britishness, a person who can somehow transplant the attributes of a UK sophisticate onto a 12-month-old child, strikes me as idealistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"From my perspective, having a distinctly British tutor from babyhood will not automatically produce the result they want.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and however I have been privileged enough to enjoy several of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, personal identity cannot be dictated from the outside; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, English culture is something Adam hopes can be taught – and sold.
"I think the reality that the world regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
