"A household residing in the northern part of London seeks an exceptional and skilled educator to support their most junior child on his first steps to becoming an English gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might naturally overlook the phrase "initial stages" as simple figurative language.
However, it could be the crucial aspect of this unusual employment listing, as it seeks to hire a teacher for a infant.
Hundreds of applications have already been sent in since the unnamed family published their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the post has attracted attention across the media, with numerous wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their quest, said that despite early skepticism, he viewed the concept "visionary", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they appreciated the atypical character of their demand, and how immature their son is.
But, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had by then become established".
What precisely did the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", he replied. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He said the firstborn had picked up "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family explained to him they hoped to prevent the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The plan: To engage a UK tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to influence the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the education at the start here is kind of osmotic," stated the CEO.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will pick up the UK customs they aim to cultivate.
He said the tutor must be an individual who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed him the successful candidate should preferably also have understanding of or interest in horse riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a wide range of passions.
Additionally though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son develop into a "British gentleman" will result in success and create opportunities.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he comments.
Yet, notwithstanding all this instruction in "English culture", would the child pick up so-called cultural influence from the international family he resides with anyway?
"Certainly", replied Adam. "The parents understand this might not succeed, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the education sector who express similar concerns.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who also offer personal educators, stated that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
The expert wrote that he had moved from the Far East to the UK at the age of childhood, and had been educated understanding and practicing dual heritages. He went on to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that one individual can act as a embodiment of English culture, a person who can possibly impart the characteristics of a British gentleman onto a infant child, appears idealistic and impractical," he wrote.
"Based on my background, employing a quintessentially English tutor from babyhood will does not automatically achieve the goal they desire.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to experience numerous of the experiences they desire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, personal identity should not be forced from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Of course, UK identity is something Adam thinks can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I believe the reality that the global community regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
