"Parents based in north London wants to find an exceptional and skilled educator to support their smallest child on his initial journey to growing into an English gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might readily overlook the wording "initial stages" as just an expression.
Yet, it could be the crucial aspect of this unique job advert, as it attempts to find a tutor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of applications have already been submitted since the unnamed family published their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the listing has attracted attention in the media, with many wondering why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, chief executive of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their search, stated that despite early doubt, he found the idea "visionary", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they appreciated the atypical character of their demand, and how young their son is.
But, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
What precisely did the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", he answered. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the older sibling had adopted "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family informed him they did not want this pattern to happen again with their infant.
The plan: To bring in a UK tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the learning at the outset here is kind of osmotic," explained the expert.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will acquire the UK customs they wish to instil.
He noted the tutor had to be an individual who went to "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told him the selected educator should preferably also have knowledge of or interest in riding, skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a wide range of passions.
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 learning an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son develop into a "English gentleman" will result in accomplishment and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he comments.
But, despite all this instruction in "Britishness", could the child absorb what is termed cultural influence from the globally influenced family he resides with regardless?
"Yes", answered Adam. "They know this could fail, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the private teaching field who have these doubts.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who also offer personal educators, commented that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
The expert wrote that he had moved from China to the Britain at the period of 7 years old, and had been raised experiencing and practicing dual heritages. He progressed to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that a single person can function as a living vessel of Britishness, an individual who can in some way transplant the qualities of a English gentleman to a one-year-old child, strikes me as optimistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"Based on my background, employing a quintessentially UK tutor from early childhood will not instantly achieve the goal they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to enjoy several of the situations they aspire for their son."
He added: "The fact is, cultural identity can not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, Britishness is something the expert hopes can be educated – and marketed.
"I think the reality that the international society regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
