"A household located in North London seeks an exceptional and qualified instructor to assist their most junior child on his first steps to becoming an English gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might naturally skip the term "beginning" as simple figurative language.
Yet, it might be the most important part of this unusual position posting, as it aims to find a tutor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of submissions have since been received since the unnamed family advertised their call for the highly paid tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the post has attracted interest throughout the press, with numerous wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their quest, stated that notwithstanding first skepticism, he viewed the plan "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he noted they understood the unconventional character of their demand, and how immature their son is.
But, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural bias had by then taken hold".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", he responded. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the elder child had adopted "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family explained to Adam they hoped to prevent this pattern to repeat itself with their infant.
The plan: To hire a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the education at the start here is rather osmotic," stated the CEO.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will pick up the British traits they aim to cultivate.
He noted the tutor needed to be somebody who attended "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed the expert the selected educator should preferably also have knowledge of or interest in riding, skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a wide range of passions.
Additionally though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of lessons 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 perspective, assisting their son grow into a "English gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and open doors.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he adds.
However, in spite of all this guidance in "Britishness", could the child adopt alleged cultural influence from the international family he resides with in any case?
"Certainly", replied Adam. "The parents realize this could fail, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'we should try and let's go as early as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Impractical
A number of in the tutoring industry who have these reservations.
Another CEO, head and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer private tutors, commented that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
The expert wrote that he had emigrated from the Far East to the Britain at the time of seven, and had been raised knowing and embodying both cultures. He continued to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that an individual can function as a representation of English culture, a person who can somehow impart the characteristics of a English gentleman to a 12-month-old child, strikes me as idealistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"From my perspective, engaging a typically British tutor from babyhood will does not necessarily create the outcome they hope for.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and however I have been privileged enough to live several of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, cultural identity can not be forced from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, UK identity is something Adam hopes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I think the fact that the global community views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
