"A household residing in north London wants to find an extraordinary and experienced tutor to guide their youngest child on his early path to turning into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might naturally skip the wording "initial stages" as mere a turn of phrase.
Yet, it could be the most important element of this distinctive position posting, as it seeks to recruit a teacher for a infant.
Numerous of applications have since been sent in since the unnamed family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who must be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the advert has gained notice throughout the media, with many asking why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, chief executive of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their hunt, said that despite early scepticism, he found the plan "visionary", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they recognized the atypical nature of their request, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already set in".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam answered. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He said the older sibling had adopted "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family explained to Adam they hoped to prevent the same situation to happen again with their younger child.
The plan: To engage a UK tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the learning at the beginning here is kind of acquired indirectly," said Adam.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will acquire the English characteristics they want to impart.
He explained the tutor had to be an individual who went to "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in horse riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a wide range of interests.
Furthermore though, he said the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a range of lessons 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, assisting their son develop into a "British gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and create opportunities.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he notes.
However, in spite of all this guidance in "Britishness", could the child adopt alleged cultural leaning from the multicultural family he is raised by regardless?
"Yes", answered Adam. "The parents know this could fail, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the education sector who have these doubts.
An education leader, head and founder of a tutoring service, who provides private tutors, commented that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
Peter noted that he had moved from China to the UK at the time of seven, and had been brought up knowing and living both cultures. He went on to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that a single person can act as a living vessel of Britishness, someone who can possibly transplant the characteristics of a UK sophisticate upon a infant child, seems to me optimistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"Based on my background, having a quintessentially English tutor from babyhood will does not instantly create the outcome they hope for.
"I never had such a figure, and however I have been lucky enough to live numerous of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, self-identity can not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, English culture is something the expert thinks can be taught – and sold.
"I think the fact that the world holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
