"A family based in the northern part of London seeks an remarkable and experienced educator to support their smallest child on his initial journey to turning into an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might naturally overlook the phrase "initial stages" as just an expression.
However, it could be the most significant part of this distinctive position posting, as it attempts to hire a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of submissions have already been submitted since the unidentified family advertised their search for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has received notice across the media, with numerous wondering why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their search, stated that despite early doubt, he considered the plan "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unusual aspect of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
But, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural bias had already set in".
What precisely does the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", Adam replied. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the firstborn had absorbed "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family explained to Adam they hoped to prevent this pattern to happen again with their new baby.
The strategy: To hire a British tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the learning at the beginning here is rather osmotic," stated Adam.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will pick up the British traits they wish to cultivate.
The consultant said the tutor must be an individual who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Money No Object
The family told Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in horse riding, skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a diverse set of interests.
More than that though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a range of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son become a "UK sophisticate" will lead to success and create opportunities.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he adds.
However, despite all this instruction in "UK identity", could the child adopt alleged cultural leaning from the multicultural family he is raised by in any case?
"Yes", answered he. "They understand this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the education sector who express those reservations.
An education leader, chief executive of Blue Education, who also offer individual instructors, wrote that "the development of becoming bicultural, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
He explained that he had relocated from China to the Britain at the age of childhood, and had been raised understanding and practicing two backgrounds. He continued to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that a single person can function as a living vessel of UK identity, someone who can somehow transplant the qualities of a English gentleman upon a infant child, appears idealistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"In my experience, engaging a quintessentially English tutor from early childhood will does not necessarily achieve the goal they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to enjoy several of the experiences they hope for their son."
He added: "The truth is, self-identity can not be imposed from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, Britishness is something Adam believes can be taught – and sold.
"I think the fact that the world holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
