"A family residing in north London is looking for an exceptional and experienced tutor to assist their most junior child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might readily miss the term "initial stages" as just a turn of phrase.
However, it might be the crucial aspect of this unique employment listing, as it seeks to find a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of responses have already been submitted since the unidentified family advertised their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has attracted attention across the press, with several wondering why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their search, stated that despite early scepticism, he viewed the concept "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he said they recognized the unusual nature of their request, and how young their son is.
However, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already set in".
What exactly did the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", he replied. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the older sibling had picked up "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family informed the consultant they hoped to prevent history to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To hire a English tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the development at the beginning here is somewhat acquired indirectly," stated the CEO.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will pick up the English characteristics they aim to cultivate.
He explained the tutor had to be somebody who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he stated the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a range of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son develop into a "British gentleman" will result in success and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he notes.
However, in spite of all this tutelage in "Britishness", would the child adopt alleged cultural influence from the globally influenced family he is raised by anyway?
"Certainly", replied he. "The family understand this may not work, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he explained.
Impractical
There are some in the private teaching field who share these reservations.
Another CEO, head and founder of Blue Education, who provides individual instructors, wrote that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
He wrote that he had relocated from China to the UK at the period of seven, and had been brought up knowing and practicing two backgrounds. He went on to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that one individual can function as a representation of UK identity, someone who can somehow transfer the qualities of a British gentleman to a 12-month-old child, seems to me optimistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"From my perspective, engaging a quintessentially English tutor from babyhood will not instantly achieve the goal they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and however I have been fortunate enough to experience several of the experiences they hope for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, self-identity can not be forced from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Of course, Britishness is something Adam believes can be instructed – and marketed.
"I believe the reality that the global community regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
