"A family residing in the northern part of London seeks an extraordinary and skilled instructor to guide their smallest child on his first steps to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might readily skip the phrase "initial stages" as mere figurative language.
But, it might be the most important aspect of this unusual employment listing, as it aims to hire a mentor for a infant.
Hundreds of responses have since been submitted since the unnamed family posted their request for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the listing has gained attention in the news, with several questioning why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their hunt, explained that notwithstanding first scepticism, he viewed the idea "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he said they appreciated the unusual character of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
But, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already set in".
But what did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", he replied. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He said the older sibling had picked up "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family informed Adam they wished to avoid this pattern to recur with their infant.
The strategy: To hire a British tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the learning at the outset here is somewhat osmotic," said Adam.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will pick up the UK customs they aim to instil.
Adam explained the tutor must be someone who went to "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to Adam the chosen tutor should preferably also have knowledge of or interest in equestrian activities, skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a wide range of hobbies.
Additionally though, he said the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a range of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son grow into a "English gentleman" will bring about success and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he adds.
But, despite all this instruction in "English culture", might the child pick up so-called cultural bias from the globally influenced family he resides with regardless?
"Yes", answered he. "The family realize this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the education sector who express those reservations.
An education leader, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who provides personal educators, wrote that "the process of embracing two identities, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
He wrote that he had emigrated from China to the Britain at the period of childhood, and had been brought up experiencing and living both cultures. He continued to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that a single person can function as a representation of Britishness, an individual who can somehow transfer the attributes of a UK sophisticate onto a 12-month-old child, seems to me idealistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"Based on my background, employing a quintessentially English tutor from babyhood will will not automatically create the result they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and however I have been privileged enough to enjoy several of the situations they desire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, cultural identity cannot be forced from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, English culture is something the CEO hopes can be taught – and marketed.
"In my view the situation that the international society regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
