"A household based in North London is looking for an remarkable and experienced tutor to guide their smallest child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might naturally overlook the wording "initial stages" as mere an expression.
But, it may be the crucial aspect of this distinctive job advert, as it attempts to find a mentor for a infant.
Hundreds of responses have now been submitted since the anonymous family posted their call for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the listing has attracted attention throughout the news, with several questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their search, explained that notwithstanding early skepticism, he found the concept "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he noted they appreciated the unconventional nature of their demand, and how young their son is.
But, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had by then set in".
But what does the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert responded. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He said the elder child had adopted "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family informed Adam they hoped to prevent the same situation to repeat itself with their new baby.
The plan: To hire a British tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to influence the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the development at the outset here is somewhat acquired indirectly," said Adam.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will adopt the UK customs they want to impart.
He noted the tutor needed to be somebody who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told Adam the selected educator should preferably also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, winter sports, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to shape the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a range of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son become a "English gentleman" will result in achievement and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he comments.
However, despite all this instruction in "Britishness", could the child adopt alleged cultural influence from the multicultural family he lives with anyway?
"Certainly", answered Adam. "The parents know this may not work, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the education sector who have similar doubts.
Another CEO, head and founder of Blue Education, who provides private tutors, commented that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
Peter noted that he had moved from Asia to the Britain at the period of childhood, and had been educated understanding and embodying two backgrounds. He went on to learn at Cambridge University.
"The idea that one individual can serve as a representation of Britishness, someone who can somehow transfer the attributes of a English gentleman upon a infant child, seems to me idealistic and impractical," he wrote.
"In my experience, employing a quintessentially British tutor from early childhood will will not instantly achieve the outcome they desire.
"I never had such a figure, and however I have been privileged enough to enjoy many of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He added: "The reality is, self-identity should not be forced from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, English culture is something Adam hopes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I think the fact that the global community views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
