"A family residing in north London wants to find an remarkable and experienced tutor to assist their youngest child on his initial journey to turning into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might easily overlook the wording "initial stages" as mere a turn of phrase.
Yet, it might be the most significant aspect of this unusual job advert, as it attempts to hire a teacher for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of submissions have already been received since the anonymous family published their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the advert has attracted notice throughout the press, with numerous questioning why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their search, said that despite initial skepticism, he viewed the concept "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they recognized the unconventional nature of their demand, and how young their son is.
However, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already become established".
What exactly did the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", he replied. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the elder child had adopted "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family explained to the consultant they hoped to prevent the same situation to recur with their infant.
The strategy: To bring in a British tutor, who must speak with RP, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the education at the beginning here is rather absorbed naturally," said the CEO.
It's via this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will adopt the UK customs they wish to impart.
Adam said the tutor must be an individual who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to shape the child in a wide range of passions.
Furthermore though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a range of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son grow into a "British gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and open doors.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he comments.
However, in spite of all this instruction in "English culture", could the child adopt what is termed cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he lives with regardless?
"Certainly", answered he. "The parents understand this could fail, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as early as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he explained.
Impractical
Several in the private teaching field who share these concerns.
An education leader, head and founder of a tutoring service, who supplies private tutors, commented that "the journey of embracing two identities, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
He explained that he had emigrated from China to the United Kingdom at the age of seven, and had been raised understanding and practicing two backgrounds. He continued to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that a single person can act as a embodiment of UK identity, someone who can in some way transfer the qualities of a British gentleman upon a infant child, appears optimistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"In my experience, employing a quintessentially English tutor from babyhood will does not instantly achieve the result they want.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and however I have been privileged enough to live several of the experiences they hope for their son."
He added: "The fact is, personal identity cannot be dictated from the outside; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, English culture is something Adam believes can be instructed – and marketed.
"In my view the situation that the global community regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
