"A household residing in North London is looking for an remarkable and skilled instructor to support their smallest child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might easily miss the wording "initial stages" as mere a turn of phrase.
However, it could be the crucial aspect of this unique job advert, as it seeks to recruit a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of responses have since been submitted since the unnamed family posted their search for the highly paid tutor, who must be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the post has received notice across the press, with many questioning why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their search, said that despite initial skepticism, he found the plan "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they recognized the unusual aspect of their demand, and how young their son is.
But, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already become established".
What precisely does the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", he responded. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the firstborn had absorbed "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family informed him they did not want the same situation to recur with their new baby.
The intention: To hire a English tutor, who should speak with RP, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the development at the beginning here is somewhat absorbed naturally," said Adam.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will pick up the British traits they want to cultivate.
The consultant noted the tutor had to be an individual who attended "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Money No Object
The family informed Adam the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in horse riding, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Additionally though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son develop into a "British gentleman" will lead to success and provide access.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he comments.
But, despite all this tutelage in "English culture", would the child adopt alleged cultural bias from the globally influenced family he resides with anyway?
"Certainly", replied Adam. "The family understand this might not succeed, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he said.
Impractical
There are some in the private teaching field who express those reservations.
Another CEO, head and founder of Blue Education, who also offer personal educators, stated that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
Peter noted that he had relocated from the Far East to the Britain at the age of childhood, and had been brought up knowing and embodying dual heritages. He continued to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The idea that a single person can act as a representation of UK identity, someone who can possibly transfer the attributes of a English gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, strikes me as optimistic and impractical," he commented.
"From my perspective, employing a quintessentially English tutor from early childhood will does not automatically achieve the goal they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and however I have been privileged enough to enjoy numerous of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, self-identity cannot be imposed from the outside; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, Britishness is something Adam thinks can be educated – and sold.
"I believe the situation that the international society regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
