"A family residing in north London is looking for an extraordinary and skilled instructor to support their smallest child on his initial journey to becoming an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might naturally miss the wording "initial stages" as just figurative language.
But, it might be the most important element of this unique employment listing, as it seeks to recruit a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of responses have already been received since the unidentified family published their call for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted attention throughout the news, with numerous wondering why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, head and founder of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their search, explained that in spite of initial scepticism, he considered the idea "visionary", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they understood the unconventional nature of their request, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already become established".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert responded. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the elder child had absorbed "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family explained to Adam they did not want this pattern to repeat itself with their new baby.
The strategy: To hire a UK tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the education at the outset here is somewhat osmotic," stated the expert.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will acquire the British traits they want to impart.
He explained the tutor needed to be an individual who attended "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed Adam the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or passion in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, the arts and music so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Furthermore though, he explained the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son grow into a "English gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and open doors.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he adds.
Yet, in spite of all this guidance in "English culture", might the child pick up so-called cultural influence from the multicultural family he is raised by regardless?
"Absolutely", answered Adam. "They know this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as early as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he stated.
Impractical
A number of in the education sector who express those concerns.
Another CEO, head and founder of an educational organization, who supplies individual instructors, commented that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
Peter noted that he had moved from Asia to the UK at the time of childhood, and had been educated knowing and living both cultures. He continued to learn at Cambridge University.
"The idea that an individual can act as a embodiment of UK identity, a person who can somehow impart the attributes of a UK sophisticate upon a one-year-old child, strikes me as idealistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"Based on my background, employing a typically English tutor from infancy will does not instantly produce the result they hope for.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to live many of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, personal identity cannot be forced from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, English culture is something the CEO thinks can be educated – and sold.
"In my view the reality that the global community regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
