"Parents based in north London is looking for an extraordinary and qualified educator to assist their most junior child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might easily overlook the wording "initial stages" as mere an expression.
But, it may be the crucial element of this unusual job advert, as it attempts to recruit a mentor for a infant.
Hundreds of responses have now been submitted since the unnamed family advertised their search for the highly paid tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the advert has gained attention throughout the news, with several questioning why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their search, explained that notwithstanding first skepticism, he considered the concept "visionary", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he mentioned they recognized the unusual aspect of their demand, and how immature their son is.
But, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had by then taken hold".
But what did the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam replied. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the elder child had adopted "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family informed Adam they wished to avoid this pattern to happen again with their younger child.
The intention: To bring in a UK tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the education at the start here is kind of osmotic," explained the expert.
It's via this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will pick up the English characteristics they wish to instil.
The consultant said the tutor had to be someone who went to "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Money No Object
The family explained to Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or interest in riding, winter sports, the arts and music so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Furthermore though, he said the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son develop into a "English gentleman" will lead to achievement and provide access.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he notes.
Yet, in spite of all this guidance in "English culture", could the child absorb what is termed cultural bias from the international family he lives with regardless?
"Yes", replied Adam. "The family understand this could fail, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who share those doubts.
An education leader, chief executive of Blue Education, who supplies personal educators, stated that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
The expert wrote that he had relocated from China to the United Kingdom at the time of 7 years old, and had been raised knowing and practicing dual heritages. He progressed to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that one individual can serve as a representation of English culture, someone who can somehow transfer the qualities of a English gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, seems to me naive and unfeasible," he commented.
"From my perspective, having a quintessentially English tutor from infancy will will not automatically achieve the outcome they hope for.
"I did not have such a figure, and however I have been lucky enough to live several of the situations they desire for their son."
He stated: "The reality is, self-identity cannot be imposed from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, Britishness is something the expert thinks can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I think the fact that the international society holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
