"Parents based in North London wants to find an extraordinary and skilled instructor to guide their smallest child on his first steps to growing into an English gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might readily skip the phrase "initial stages" as mere a turn of phrase.
Yet, it might be the most significant part of this distinctive employment listing, as it seeks to find a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Many of applications have already been sent in since the unidentified family published their search for the highly paid tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the listing has gained attention across the news, with many asking why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their hunt, explained that despite first skepticism, he found the plan "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they recognized the atypical aspect of their request, and how immature their son is.
But, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had by then taken hold".
What exactly did the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert replied. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He said the older sibling had absorbed "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family told Adam they did not want the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To hire a English tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the learning at the outset here is kind of acquired indirectly," said the expert.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will acquire the British traits they want to cultivate.
He noted the tutor needed to be somebody who studied at "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Money No Object
The family told him the selected educator should preferably also have understanding of or enthusiasm in horse riding, alpine skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to influence the child in a diverse set of passions.
Furthermore though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up 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 success and create opportunities.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he notes.
However, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "English culture", might the child adopt alleged cultural leaning from the multicultural family he lives with anyway?
"Yes", said he. "They understand this could fail, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as soon as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the education sector who express these reservations.
An education leader, chief executive of Blue Education, who supplies personal educators, stated that "the development of embracing two identities, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
He wrote that he had emigrated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the age of seven, and had been educated understanding and practicing dual heritages. He continued to study at Cambridge University.
"The concept that a single person can function as a embodiment of English culture, someone who can possibly transplant the attributes of a British gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, strikes me as idealistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"Based on my background, engaging a quintessentially English tutor from babyhood will will not necessarily create the result they want.
"I did not have such a figure, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to enjoy several of the experiences they desire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, cultural identity can not be dictated from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, Britishness is something Adam thinks can be taught – and marketed.
"I believe the situation that the global community views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
