"A family based in North London wants to find an remarkable and skilled educator to guide their youngest child on his early path to becoming an English gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might easily overlook the phrase "beginning" as mere figurative language.
Yet, it might be the most important part of this distinctive position posting, as it attempts to hire a mentor for a one-year-old.
Numerous of submissions have already been sent in since the unnamed family advertised their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the post has attracted notice in the media, with many asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their quest, stated that in spite of initial doubt, he viewed the idea "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he said they recognized the unconventional character of their request, and how young their son is.
But, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had already become established".
What precisely does the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", he responded. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the firstborn had absorbed "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family informed Adam they wished to avoid this pattern to happen again with their younger child.
The plan: To bring in a UK tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the development at the beginning here is kind of acquired indirectly," said Adam.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will adopt the British traits they aim to cultivate.
Adam explained the tutor had to be an individual who studied at "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor must be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told Adam the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or passion in horse riding, winter sports, creative fields and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Furthermore though, he stated the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son become a "British gentleman" will result in success and create opportunities.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he notes.
Yet, despite all this guidance in "English culture", could the child pick up so-called cultural bias from the multicultural family he resides with in any case?
"Yes", said the CEO. "The parents know this may not work, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as early as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he said.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the tutoring industry who share these concerns.
Peter Cui, chief executive of a tutoring service, who also offer personal educators, stated that "the development of embracing two identities, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
He wrote that he had moved from Asia to the UK at the time of 7 years old, and had been brought up knowing and living both cultures. He went on to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The notion that an individual can function as a living vessel of Britishness, someone who can possibly transplant the attributes of a British gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, strikes me as naive and impractical," he wrote.
"In my experience, employing a quintessentially English tutor from infancy will does not instantly achieve the outcome they want.
"I did not have such a figure, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to enjoy many of the situations they desire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, personal identity should not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, English culture is something the expert believes can be taught – and sold.
"In my view the fact that the international society views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
