"A family based in the northern part of London seeks an extraordinary and qualified educator to guide their smallest child on his first steps to turning into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might easily skip the term "initial stages" as simple an expression.
Yet, it could be the most significant aspect of this distinctive position posting, as it attempts to hire a mentor for a one-year-old.
Many of submissions have already been sent in since the unidentified family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted notice across the press, with many wondering why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their quest, said that in spite of early doubt, he found the plan "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he said they appreciated the unusual nature of their demand, and how young their son is.
However, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had by then taken hold".
What precisely did the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", he answered. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the older sibling had picked up "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family told him they hoped to prevent this pattern to repeat itself with their new baby.
The intention: To engage a British tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the education at the start here is somewhat acquired indirectly," stated Adam.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will acquire the UK customs they want to impart.
The consultant said the tutor had to be somebody who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in riding, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
Furthermore though, he said the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son become a "UK sophisticate" will bring about success and create opportunities.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he notes.
But, despite all this instruction in "UK identity", could the child absorb alleged cultural bias from the globally influenced family he lives with regardless?
"Yes", said Adam. "They understand this might not succeed, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'we should try and let's go as early as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the tutoring industry who have these reservations.
Peter Cui, head and founder of Blue Education, who provides personal educators, stated that "the development of becoming bicultural, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
Peter explained that he had relocated from the Far East to the UK at the age of childhood, and had been brought up understanding and embodying dual heritages. He progressed to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that an individual can serve as a representation of Britishness, an individual who can somehow transplant the attributes of a British gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, strikes me as optimistic and impractical," he stated.
"From my perspective, employing a typically British tutor from early childhood will does not necessarily achieve the result they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to live many of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, self-identity cannot be dictated from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, UK identity is something Adam believes can be educated – and marketed.
"In my view the fact that the global community holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
