"A family located in the northern part of London seeks an exceptional and qualified educator to assist their youngest child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might easily skip the phrase "initial stages" as just an expression.
However, it could be the most significant part of this unique job advert, as it seeks to recruit a tutor for a infant.
Hundreds of applications have already been received since the unnamed family published their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has gained attention across the press, with many questioning why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their quest, stated that notwithstanding first skepticism, he found the concept "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they appreciated the atypical character of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
However, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already set in".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", Adam replied. "How you eat, how you speak".
He said the older sibling had absorbed "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family explained to the consultant they hoped to prevent this pattern to recur with their infant.
The intention: To hire a English tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the development at the outset here is rather acquired indirectly," said Adam.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will adopt the English characteristics they want to cultivate.
The consultant said the tutor had to be somebody who attended "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to the expert the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in riding, winter sports, creative fields and music so as to shape the child in a wide range of passions.
Additionally though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son develop into a "British gentleman" will result in achievement and create opportunities.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he adds.
But, despite all this tutelage in "Britishness", might the child absorb what is termed cultural leaning from the multicultural family he lives with anyway?
"Certainly", said the CEO. "The family know this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the education sector who share similar reservations.
Peter Cui, chief executive of a tutoring service, who provides private tutors, commented that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
Peter noted that he had emigrated from Asia to the Britain at the age of childhood, and had been raised understanding and living both cultures. He continued to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that a single person can serve as a embodiment of UK identity, an individual who can somehow transplant the qualities of a UK sophisticate to a 12-month-old child, appears idealistic and impractical," he commented.
"Based on my background, engaging a typically British tutor from early childhood will will not automatically achieve the goal they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and however I have been fortunate enough to enjoy several of the experiences they desire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, cultural identity should not be dictated from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, UK identity is something Adam believes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I think the situation that the international society holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
