"A household based in North London seeks an extraordinary and qualified tutor to assist their smallest child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might readily overlook the wording "beginning" as mere a turn of phrase.
But, it might be the most significant element of this unique position posting, as it attempts to hire a mentor for a one-year-old.
Many of submissions have now been submitted since the unnamed family posted their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has received attention across the press, with numerous asking why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their search, explained that despite first scepticism, he viewed the plan "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he said they understood the atypical nature of their request, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had already become established".
But what did the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam responded. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the older sibling had picked up "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family informed Adam they did not want this pattern to recur with their infant.
The strategy: To engage a UK tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the learning at the outset here is somewhat absorbed naturally," said Adam.
It's through this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will adopt the UK customs they aim to impart.
He said the tutor must be someone who went to "prestigious academies – comparable categories 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 performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in horse riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and music so as to shape the child in a diverse set of interests.
More than that though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son become a "British gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he adds.
However, in spite of all this instruction in "English culture", would the child absorb alleged cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he resides with anyway?
"Certainly", said the CEO. "They know this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as early as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the tutoring industry who express these doubts.
An education leader, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who provides private tutors, stated that "the development of embracing two identities, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
The expert noted that he had emigrated from the Far East to the Britain at the period of 7 years old, and had been educated understanding and embodying both cultures. He progressed to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that one individual can act as a living vessel of Britishness, someone who can somehow impart the characteristics of a UK sophisticate to a infant child, appears idealistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"In my experience, engaging a typically UK tutor from infancy will not automatically achieve the goal they hope for.
"I did not have such a tutor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to experience several of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, self-identity should not be imposed from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, Britishness is something Adam thinks can be taught – and sold.
"I believe the situation that the international society views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
