"A family based in north London wants to find an extraordinary and experienced tutor to support their most junior child on his first steps to growing into an English gentleman."
When reading this post, you might readily miss the term "first-steps" as mere an expression.
But, it might be the most significant part of this distinctive position posting, as it aims to recruit a tutor for a infant.
Hundreds of responses have now been submitted since the unidentified family published their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the listing has gained notice throughout the media, with numerous wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their search, said that in spite of initial skepticism, he viewed the concept "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he noted they recognized the atypical nature of their request, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had by then set in".
What precisely does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam answered. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the older sibling had adopted "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family told the consultant they wished to avoid the same situation to happen again with their new baby.
The plan: To engage a UK tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to guide the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the development at the beginning here is somewhat osmotic," stated the expert.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will pick up the British traits they want to impart.
He noted the tutor had to be someone who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Money No Object
The family explained to Adam the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in horse riding, skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of passions.
More than that though, he said the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son develop into a "British gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and open doors.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he adds.
But, despite all this tutelage in "Britishness", could the child adopt alleged cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he is raised by in any case?
"Absolutely", replied the CEO. "The family realize this could fail, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as soon as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the private teaching field who express those doubts.
An education leader, chief executive of a tutoring service, who also offer individual instructors, stated that "the journey of embracing two identities, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
He noted that he had moved from Asia to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised knowing and living dual heritages. He went on to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that an individual can act as a representation of UK identity, an individual who can possibly impart the characteristics of a English gentleman onto a one-year-old child, appears idealistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"From my perspective, employing a quintessentially UK tutor from babyhood will not necessarily produce the goal they desire.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to live numerous of the situations they hope for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, self-identity should not be forced from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, English culture is something the expert thinks can be instructed – and commercialized.
"In my view the reality that the international society regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
