"A household based in North London is looking for an exceptional and experienced tutor to guide their youngest child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might readily overlook the wording "beginning" as mere a turn of phrase.
Yet, it may be the most significant part of this unusual job advert, as it seeks to hire a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of responses have already been received since the unidentified family published their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the listing has received notice throughout the press, with several wondering why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, head and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their hunt, stated that notwithstanding initial scepticism, he found the idea "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unusual character of their request, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had by then taken hold".
What precisely does the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert answered. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He said the elder child had adopted "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family told Adam they did not want history to recur with their new baby.
The plan: To bring in a English tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the learning at the beginning here is somewhat absorbed naturally," stated the expert.
It's via this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will pick up the English characteristics they wish to impart.
Adam said the tutor must be an individual who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a wide range of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he stated the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son become a "English gentleman" will lead to success and open doors.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he adds.
Yet, in spite of all this guidance in "English culture", could the child adopt so-called cultural influence from the globally influenced family he is raised by in any case?
"Certainly", said Adam. "The family know this could fail, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as quickly as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the private teaching field who express these concerns.
Peter Cui, chief executive of an educational organization, who provides individual instructors, commented that "the development of embracing two identities, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
He noted that he had emigrated from Asia to the UK at the time of seven, and had been educated understanding and practicing two backgrounds. He continued to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that one individual can function as a embodiment of UK identity, someone who can possibly transfer the characteristics of a British gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, seems to me idealistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"From my perspective, having a distinctly English tutor from early childhood will will not necessarily achieve the result they want.
"I did not have such a tutor, and however I have been fortunate enough to live many of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He added: "The fact is, cultural identity cannot be imposed from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Of course, Britishness is something the expert hopes can be instructed – and marketed.
"I think the situation that the world views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
