"A household based in the northern part of London seeks an remarkable and qualified instructor to assist their most junior child on his first steps to turning into an English gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might easily miss the wording "beginning" as simple a turn of phrase.
Yet, it may be the crucial part of this unique employment listing, as it attempts to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of applications have already been received since the unidentified family published their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted attention in the news, with many wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their search, explained that despite first skepticism, he considered the plan "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he said they appreciated the unconventional nature of their request, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already taken hold".
But what did the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", he replied. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He stated the older sibling had picked up "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family informed Adam they hoped to prevent this pattern to repeat itself with their younger child.
The strategy: To hire a British tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the development at the beginning here is somewhat absorbed naturally," explained Adam.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will adopt the UK customs they wish to cultivate.
He noted 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 right kind of person, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told him the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
More than that though, he said the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son grow into a "English gentleman" will lead to success and create opportunities.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he notes.
But, notwithstanding all this guidance in "UK identity", could the child adopt alleged cultural bias from the international family he resides with in any case?
"Absolutely", said he. "They know this may not work, but they've just taken the view of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the education sector who express similar concerns.
Peter Cui, chief executive of a tutoring service, who also offer personal educators, wrote that "the process of becoming bicultural, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
Peter explained that he had emigrated from Asia to the Britain at the period of 7 years old, and had been educated understanding and embodying both cultures. He went on to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that one individual can function as a representation of UK identity, someone who can in some way transfer the attributes of a English gentleman to a one-year-old child, strikes me as idealistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"Based on my background, employing a quintessentially British tutor from infancy will not automatically achieve the result they want.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to enjoy many of the situations they desire for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, self-identity cannot be forced from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, English culture is something Adam thinks can be taught – and sold.
"In my view the situation that the international society regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
