"A household based in the northern part of London wants to find an extraordinary and skilled instructor to assist their most junior child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might readily miss the wording "beginning" as simple an expression.
However, it may be the most important aspect of this unique employment listing, as it seeks to recruit a tutor for a infant.
Numerous of applications have already been sent in since the anonymous family published their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the listing has gained attention throughout the media, with numerous wondering why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their hunt, explained that despite initial scepticism, he found the plan "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he said they understood the atypical nature of their demand, and how immature their son is.
However, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already become established".
But what did the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam answered. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the firstborn had picked up "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family told Adam they wished to avoid the same situation to repeat itself with their new baby.
The plan: To engage a English tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the education at the beginning here is rather absorbed naturally," stated the CEO.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will acquire the British traits they wish to impart.
He explained the tutor had to be somebody who attended "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor must 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.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in horse riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to influence the child in a wide range of hobbies.
More than that though, he explained the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a range of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son develop into a "British gentleman" will bring about achievement and create opportunities.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he comments.
However, notwithstanding all this instruction in "English culture", would the child adopt so-called cultural influence from the multicultural family he is raised by regardless?
"Yes", said the CEO. "They know this may not work, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the education sector who express similar concerns.
Peter Cui, head and founder of an educational organization, who also offer private tutors, commented that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
The expert noted that he had moved from Asia to the UK at the time of 7 years old, and had been raised understanding and practicing two backgrounds. He continued to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that a single person can serve as a embodiment of English culture, someone who can somehow transfer the characteristics of a UK sophisticate to a one-year-old child, strikes me as optimistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"In my experience, engaging a distinctly UK tutor from babyhood will will not necessarily produce the goal they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to live several of the situations they desire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, cultural identity cannot be dictated from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, UK identity is something Adam thinks can be educated – and sold.
"I think the fact that the world holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
