"A family based in North London seeks an remarkable and skilled educator to assist their youngest child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might readily miss the term "initial stages" as just an expression.
However, it could be the most important aspect of this distinctive position posting, as it seeks to hire a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of responses have since been sent in since the anonymous family posted their call for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the post has gained attention in the media, with many questioning why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their quest, said that notwithstanding first scepticism, he found the concept "visionary", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they recognized the atypical character of their request, and how early in age their son is.
But, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had by then set in".
What precisely does the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", he responded. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He explained the elder child had absorbed "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family told Adam they hoped to prevent this pattern to recur with their infant.
The strategy: To hire a UK tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the development at the beginning here is kind of absorbed naturally," stated Adam.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will pick up the UK customs they wish to cultivate.
He noted the tutor needed to be somebody who studied at "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed him the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or passion in riding, winter sports, the arts and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
More than that though, he said the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will result in accomplishment and provide access.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he notes.
However, in spite of all this guidance in "UK identity", might the child adopt so-called cultural influence from the international family he resides with regardless?
"Yes", said Adam. "The parents realize this could fail, but they've just taken the view of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who express these doubts.
An education leader, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer individual instructors, wrote that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
Peter wrote that he had emigrated from China to the United Kingdom at the period of 7 years old, and had been raised understanding and practicing dual heritages. He went on to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The notion that an individual can serve as a representation of UK identity, a person who can somehow transplant the attributes of a UK sophisticate onto a 12-month-old child, seems to me naive and unrealistic," he stated.
"From my perspective, having a quintessentially British tutor from babyhood will does not automatically create the goal they desire.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to enjoy several of the situations they aspire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, personal identity can not be dictated from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, UK identity is something Adam hopes can be instructed – and sold.
"In my view the situation that the international society views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
