"A family residing in the northern part of London seeks an exceptional and skilled tutor to guide their youngest child on his initial journey to turning into an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might readily miss the wording "initial stages" as mere an expression.
But, it might be the crucial aspect of this unusual position posting, as it seeks to find a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of applications have already been submitted since the anonymous family posted their request for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the advert has gained interest throughout the media, with numerous asking why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their hunt, stated that notwithstanding first doubt, he considered the concept "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they appreciated the unusual nature of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had by then become established".
But what did the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", Adam answered. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the elder child had absorbed "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family informed the consultant they hoped to prevent history to recur with their new baby.
The strategy: To hire a English tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the development at the beginning here is kind of acquired indirectly," said the CEO.
It's via this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will acquire the English characteristics they wish to impart.
He explained the tutor needed to be an individual who went to "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed him the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or passion in riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
More than that though, he said the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a range of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son become a "British gentleman" will bring about success and open doors.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he adds.
But, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "Britishness", would the child pick up alleged cultural leaning from the international family he resides with regardless?
"Yes", replied Adam. "The family realize this could fail, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he said.
Impractical
A number of in the private teaching field who have those reservations.
Peter Cui, head and founder of Blue Education, who also offer individual instructors, commented that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
The expert wrote that he had emigrated from China to the UK at the time of seven, and had been raised experiencing and living dual heritages. He went on to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that one individual can function as a representation of English culture, an individual who can in some way transfer the characteristics of a English gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, appears optimistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"From my perspective, engaging a typically British tutor from babyhood will not automatically create the outcome they desire.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to live numerous of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He stated: "The reality is, personal identity cannot be dictated from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, Britishness is something the expert thinks can be taught – and commercialized.
"In my view the reality that the world holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
