"A household located in the northern part of London wants to find an extraordinary and qualified tutor to support their smallest child on his first steps to growing into an English gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might readily skip the wording "initial stages" as mere a turn of phrase.
But, it may be the most important part of this unique job advert, as it aims to find a mentor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of responses have already been sent in since the anonymous family advertised their search for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the post has attracted attention across the media, with many questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, head and founder of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their quest, stated that despite first scepticism, he found the concept "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he said they recognized the unusual aspect of their request, and how young their son is.
But, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural bias had by then taken hold".
What exactly did the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam responded. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the elder child had picked up "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family told Adam they wished to avoid history to recur with their infant.
The strategy: To engage a English tutor, who should speak with RP, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the education at the start here is rather acquired indirectly," explained Adam.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will pick up the UK customs they wish to cultivate.
He said the tutor must be an individual who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed him the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in riding, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
More than that though, he explained the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will result in success and provide access.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he notes.
Yet, despite all this instruction in "Britishness", would the child pick up so-called cultural influence from the international family he is raised by regardless?
"Certainly", said Adam. "The family understand this may not work, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as early as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the tutoring industry who have these concerns.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who provides personal educators, stated that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
He explained that he had relocated from Asia to the Britain at the period of seven, and had been raised experiencing and practicing two backgrounds. He continued to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that a single person can serve as a representation of Britishness, a person who can in some way impart the characteristics of a British gentleman to a 12-month-old child, appears naive and unfeasible," he wrote.
"From my perspective, having a typically UK tutor from early childhood will will not necessarily create the outcome they want.
"I did not have such a tutor, and however I have been privileged enough to experience numerous of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He added: "The reality is, cultural identity cannot be imposed from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Of course, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be taught – and marketed.
"I believe the situation that the world regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
