"A household based in north London seeks an extraordinary and skilled instructor to assist their youngest child on his early path to growing into an English gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might readily miss the term "initial stages" as simple a turn of phrase.
Yet, it might be the most significant part of this distinctive employment listing, as it aims to hire a tutor for a one-year-old.
Numerous of submissions have already been sent in since the unidentified family published their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has received attention across the press, with numerous asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their quest, explained that in spite of first skepticism, he viewed the plan "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they recognized the unusual nature of their requirement, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already set in".
What exactly does the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", he answered. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He said the older sibling had absorbed "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family told Adam they did not want the same situation to repeat itself with their new baby.
The intention: To hire a UK tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the learning at the beginning here is kind of absorbed naturally," explained the expert.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will acquire the UK customs they want to instil.
He noted the tutor must be somebody who studied at "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed Adam the successful candidate should preferably also have knowledge of or interest in equestrian activities, winter sports, the arts and musical activities so as to influence the child in a wide range of interests.
Additionally though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's minds, assisting their son develop into a "English gentleman" will result in success and open doors.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he comments.
Yet, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "Britishness", would the child absorb alleged cultural influence from the multicultural family he lives with in any case?
"Yes", replied Adam. "The parents know this might not succeed, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who have those doubts.
Another CEO, head and founder of an educational organization, who supplies individual instructors, commented that "the process of becoming bicultural, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
The expert noted that he had relocated from the Far East to the UK at the time of seven, and had been educated understanding and embodying both cultures. He progressed to study at Cambridge University.
"The notion that one individual can act as a living vessel of Britishness, a person who can possibly impart the attributes of a British gentleman to a one-year-old child, strikes me as optimistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"From my perspective, engaging a quintessentially English tutor from infancy will does not instantly achieve the goal they hope for.
"I did not have such a tutor, and however I have been privileged enough to experience numerous of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, self-identity cannot be forced from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, UK identity is something the expert believes can be instructed – and sold.
"I believe the fact that the world regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
