"A family residing in the northern part of London wants to find an extraordinary and qualified instructor to support their most junior child on his initial journey to turning into an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might readily skip the term "initial stages" as simple a turn of phrase.
But, it could be the most significant element of this unique job advert, as it seeks to hire a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of submissions have since been submitted since the unnamed family advertised their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the listing has gained attention in the news, with several wondering why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their quest, said that notwithstanding initial scepticism, he found the concept "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unusual character of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
However, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had by then taken hold".
What precisely did the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", he responded. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the elder child had absorbed "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family explained to Adam they hoped to prevent the same situation to happen again with their infant.
The strategy: To hire a UK tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the learning at the outset here is somewhat osmotic," explained the CEO.
It's through this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will acquire the British traits they aim to impart.
The consultant said the tutor had to be an individual who went to "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or interest in horse riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to influence the child in a diverse set of interests.
More than that though, he explained the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son grow into a "English gentleman" will bring about success and open doors.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he adds.
However, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "Britishness", might the child adopt what is termed cultural influence from the international family he is raised by anyway?
"Certainly", answered he. "They realize this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'we should try and we should start as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he explained.
Impractical
There are some in the tutoring industry who share these reservations.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who also offer personal educators, stated that "the development of embracing two identities, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
He wrote that he had moved from the Far East to the UK at the age of childhood, and had been raised experiencing and living both cultures. He continued to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that one individual can serve as a living vessel of English culture, an individual who can somehow transplant the qualities of a English gentleman to a 12-month-old child, appears idealistic and unrealistic," he stated.
"Based on my background, employing a typically English tutor from babyhood will not instantly produce the result they hope for.
"I did not have such a tutor, and yet I have been privileged enough to live numerous of the situations they aspire for their son."
He added: "The fact is, personal identity can not be forced from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, English culture is something the CEO believes can be educated – and commercialized.
"I believe the reality that the global community views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
