"A household located in the northern part of London wants to find an remarkable and qualified instructor to guide their youngest child on his first steps to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might naturally skip the wording "first-steps" as mere figurative language.
But, it could be the most significant part of this unique employment listing, as it attempts to find a tutor for a infant.
Many of submissions have now been received since the unidentified family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the post has received attention in the news, with numerous asking why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, head and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their search, stated that in spite of early skepticism, he considered the concept "visionary", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he said they understood the unusual character of their requirement, and how young their son is.
But, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had already become established".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", he replied. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the older sibling had absorbed "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family explained to Adam they did not want this pattern to repeat itself with their new baby.
The intention: To bring in a English tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the learning at the beginning here is kind of osmotic," explained the expert.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will acquire the English characteristics they want to impart.
Adam said the tutor needed to be an individual who went to "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to him the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in horse riding, winter sports, creative fields and music so as to influence the child in a wide range of interests.
More than that though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will bring about success and provide access.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he comments.
However, in spite of all this instruction in "Britishness", would the child pick up so-called cultural influence from the international family he is raised by anyway?
"Yes", replied Adam. "The family realize this may not work, 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 not relevant," he stated.
Impractical
A number of in the private teaching field who have those concerns.
Peter Cui, chief executive of Blue Education, who also offer private tutors, wrote that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
He noted that he had relocated from China to the UK at the time of seven, and had been educated experiencing and living two backgrounds. He progressed to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that one individual can serve as a embodiment of English culture, an individual who can somehow transfer the characteristics of a English gentleman to a 12-month-old child, seems to me idealistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"Based on my background, employing a distinctly English tutor from infancy will not automatically achieve the result they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to enjoy several of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, self-identity cannot be forced from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, UK identity is something the CEO believes can be taught – and marketed.
"In my view the situation that the global community holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
