"A family residing in north London is looking for an exceptional and qualified tutor to support their smallest child on his first steps to turning into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might readily overlook the phrase "beginning" as mere a turn of phrase.
Yet, it could be the most important aspect of this distinctive position posting, as it aims to find a teacher for a one-year-old.
Many of submissions have already been submitted since the anonymous family posted their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the post has received interest in the media, with several wondering why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, chief executive of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their search, said that in spite of first skepticism, he found the idea "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they recognized the unconventional character of their request, and how early in age their son is.
But, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already taken hold".
What precisely does the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", he responded. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the firstborn had picked up "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family told the consultant they wished to avoid history to recur with their younger child.
The intention: To bring in a UK tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the development at the outset here is kind of osmotic," stated Adam.
It's via this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will pick up the UK customs they wish to cultivate.
He noted the tutor must be somebody who attended "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told Adam the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
More than that though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will result in achievement and open doors.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he notes.
Yet, in spite of all this tutelage in "Britishness", might the child pick up what is termed cultural influence from the international family he is raised by in any case?
"Yes", replied Adam. "They know this could fail, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who have those concerns.
Peter Cui, chief executive of an educational organization, who also offer private tutors, wrote that "the process of embracing two identities, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
The expert noted that he had relocated from China to the Britain at the age of 7 years old, and had been brought up knowing and embodying dual heritages. He progressed to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that a single person can act as a representation of UK identity, someone who can possibly transfer the qualities of a UK sophisticate to a 12-month-old child, seems to me optimistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"Based on my background, having a distinctly British tutor from early childhood will will not automatically create the outcome they want.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to enjoy several of the situations they hope for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, personal identity cannot be imposed from the outside; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, Britishness is something Adam hopes can be taught – and commercialized.
"In my view the situation that the world regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
