"A family based in north London wants to find an remarkable and experienced instructor to guide their most junior child on his first steps to turning into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might naturally overlook the term "beginning" as simple an expression.
But, it could be the crucial element of this unique position posting, as it attempts to find a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of submissions have now been received since the unnamed family advertised their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the listing has received attention throughout the media, with numerous asking why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, head and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their search, stated that despite early skepticism, he considered the concept "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he noted they understood the unconventional aspect of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
However, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
What exactly does the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", he responded. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the older sibling had picked up "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family explained to Adam they wished to avoid history to repeat itself with their infant.
The intention: To bring in a British tutor, who should speak with RP, to influence the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the education at the beginning here is kind of acquired indirectly," said the expert.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will acquire the British traits they aim to cultivate.
Adam said the tutor needed to be an individual who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs 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 told Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to shape the child in a wide range of passions.
More than that though, he said the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son develop into a "English gentleman" will result in accomplishment and open doors.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he adds.
But, despite all this guidance in "UK identity", might the child adopt so-called cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he lives with regardless?
"Yes", replied Adam. "The parents understand this may not work, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as early as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who have those doubts.
An education leader, head and founder of an educational organization, who also offer individual instructors, wrote that "the development of embracing two identities, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
He explained that he had moved from Asia to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been brought up understanding and practicing two backgrounds. He continued to learn at Cambridge University.
"The idea that an individual can function as a embodiment of UK identity, someone who can in some way transfer the characteristics of a English gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, strikes me as optimistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"From my perspective, employing a typically UK tutor from babyhood will does not necessarily produce the outcome they desire.
"I did not have such a tutor, and however I have been privileged enough to experience several of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, self-identity can not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the expert believes can be educated – and commercialized.
"I believe the situation that the world views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
