"A family residing in the northern part of London wants to find an remarkable and experienced educator to assist their most junior child on his initial journey to becoming an English gentleman."
When reading this post, you might readily skip the term "beginning" as simple an expression.
But, it might be the most important element of this distinctive employment listing, as it aims to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of applications have since been received since the unnamed family published their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the post has received attention in the news, with numerous questioning why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, head and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their search, stated that despite first scepticism, he considered the idea "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they recognized the atypical character of their requirement, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural bias had already set in".
What exactly does the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", Adam replied. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the older sibling had adopted "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family informed Adam they did not want history to happen again with their infant.
The strategy: To bring in a UK tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the education at the start here is kind of acquired indirectly," said the CEO.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will acquire the English characteristics they aim to impart.
He noted the tutor must be someone who went to "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed the expert the successful candidate should preferably also have familiarity of or interest in equestrian activities, skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he said the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son develop into a "English gentleman" will bring about achievement and provide access.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he notes.
But, notwithstanding all this guidance in "UK identity", might the child absorb what is termed cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he resides with regardless?
"Yes", replied the CEO. "They know this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'we should try and let's go as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he said.
Impractical
Several in the private teaching field who share similar concerns.
Another CEO, head and founder of Blue Education, who also offer personal educators, wrote that "the development of becoming bicultural, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
He explained that he had emigrated from China to the Britain at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised experiencing and practicing dual heritages. He went on to learn at Cambridge University.
"The idea that an individual can function as a representation of UK identity, someone who can in some way transfer the characteristics of a English gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, appears naive and impractical," he stated.
"From my perspective, engaging a typically British tutor from early childhood will does not instantly achieve the result they hope for.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to experience many of the situations they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, personal identity can not be imposed from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, Britishness is something Adam believes can be educated – and sold.
"In my view the fact that the international society holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
