"Parents residing in the northern part of London wants to find an exceptional and qualified educator to assist their youngest child on his initial journey to growing into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might easily overlook the phrase "initial stages" as simple a turn of phrase.
Yet, it might be the most important part of this unique job advert, as it attempts to hire a mentor for a one-year-old.
Numerous of responses have now been sent in since the unnamed family advertised their call for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the post has gained notice in the media, with many asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their search, said that in spite of early skepticism, he viewed the idea "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unusual character of their request, and how immature their son is.
But, 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 stage "cultural conditioning had by then set in".
What exactly does the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert replied. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He said the elder child had picked up "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family informed Adam they hoped to prevent this pattern to repeat itself with their new baby.
The strategy: To hire a English tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the education at the outset here is somewhat absorbed naturally," said Adam.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will pick up the British traits they aim to instil.
Adam explained the tutor needed to be somebody who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator must be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed him the chosen tutor should preferably also have understanding of or enthusiasm in horse riding, alpine skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
More than that though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of courses 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 minds, assisting their son become a "English gentleman" will result in achievement and open doors.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he adds.
Yet, notwithstanding all this instruction in "English culture", could the child pick up alleged cultural influence from the international family he lives with anyway?
"Yes", said the CEO. "The parents realize this may not work, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Impractical
A number of in the education sector who share those concerns.
Peter Cui, head and founder of Blue Education, who provides personal educators, stated that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
Peter wrote that he had relocated from the Far East to the Britain at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised knowing and practicing both cultures. He progressed to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that an individual can act as a embodiment of English culture, a person who can in some way impart the attributes of a UK sophisticate to a 12-month-old child, strikes me as naive and unrealistic," he wrote.
"Based on my background, having a distinctly UK tutor from infancy will does not necessarily produce the goal they hope for.
"I never had such a tutor, and however I have been fortunate enough to enjoy numerous of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, personal identity should not be forced from the outside; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, English culture is something the expert believes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I believe the situation that the global community holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
