"Parents residing in North London is looking for an exceptional and experienced instructor to support their smallest child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might naturally overlook the term "initial stages" as mere an expression.
But, it might be the crucial part of this unusual employment listing, as it seeks to recruit a mentor for a infant.
Numerous of applications have since been received since the unnamed family published their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted attention across the news, with numerous wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their quest, said that despite first skepticism, he viewed the concept "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he said they recognized the unusual nature of their demand, and how immature their son is.
However, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already become established".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", he answered. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the firstborn had picked up "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family explained to Adam they did not want this pattern to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To bring in a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the learning at the outset here is somewhat acquired indirectly," stated the expert.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will pick up the English characteristics they aim to impart.
Adam explained the tutor had to be someone who studied at "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Money No Object
The family informed Adam the chosen tutor should preferably also have understanding of or passion in equestrian activities, skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
More than that though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son grow into a "English gentleman" will bring about success and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he adds.
However, notwithstanding all this guidance in "Britishness", would the child pick up alleged cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he is raised by in any case?
"Certainly", replied Adam. "They understand this may not work, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as early as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the tutoring industry who share these concerns.
An education leader, chief executive of a tutoring service, who also offer individual instructors, stated that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
The expert explained that he had moved from China to the Britain at the time of seven, and had been brought up experiencing and living dual heritages. He went on to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that a single person can act as a representation of English culture, a person who can somehow transplant the characteristics of a British gentleman onto a one-year-old child, strikes me as naive and impractical," he commented.
"In my experience, engaging a quintessentially UK tutor from early childhood will not necessarily create the goal they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and however I have been privileged enough to enjoy many of the experiences they hope for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, personal identity can not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, Britishness is something the expert thinks can be instructed – and marketed.
"I think the fact that the international society regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
