"Parents residing in North London wants to find an exceptional and experienced tutor to guide their youngest child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might readily overlook the phrase "initial stages" as simple a turn of phrase.
Yet, it could be the crucial aspect of this unusual position posting, as it aims to hire a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of applications have since been sent in since the unnamed family posted their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the listing has received attention across the media, with several questioning why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their quest, said that in spite of first scepticism, he considered the idea "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he mentioned they recognized the atypical character of their requirement, and how young their son is.
However, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already taken hold".
What exactly did the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam responded. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He stated the elder child had adopted "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family told Adam they did not want this pattern to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To bring in a English tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the development at the outset here is rather osmotic," said the expert.
It's via this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will adopt the British traits they want to impart.
He noted the tutor needed to be somebody who attended "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to the expert the successful candidate should preferably also have understanding of or enthusiasm in horse riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and musical activities 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 range of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will result in achievement and open doors.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he comments.
But, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "English culture", could the child absorb alleged cultural influence from the multicultural family he resides with in any case?
"Certainly", said the CEO. "They understand this could fail, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Impractical
There are some in the tutoring industry who express similar concerns.
An education leader, head and founder of a tutoring service, who supplies individual instructors, stated that "the development of embracing two identities, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
Peter noted that he had emigrated from China to the United Kingdom at the period of 7 years old, and had been raised experiencing and living both cultures. He went on to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that an individual can act as a living vessel of UK identity, an individual who can in some way transplant the qualities of a English gentleman upon a infant child, strikes me as naive and impractical," he commented.
"Based on my background, engaging a distinctly English tutor from babyhood will will not automatically produce the outcome they desire.
"I did not have such a figure, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to experience numerous of the situations they aspire for their son."
He added: "The fact is, self-identity can not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, UK identity is something the expert believes can be taught – and commercialized.
"In my view the situation that the international society views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
