"A household residing in the northern part of London is looking for an extraordinary and experienced instructor to support their youngest child on his first steps to growing into an English gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might easily overlook the term "first-steps" as simple an expression.
Yet, it might be the crucial part of this distinctive position posting, as it aims to hire a teacher for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of applications have already been received since the unnamed family published their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted notice in the press, with many asking why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their quest, explained that despite early scepticism, he viewed the idea "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he said they recognized the unusual character of their requirement, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already become established".
But what does the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", he replied. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He stated the older sibling had adopted "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family explained to Adam they wished to avoid this pattern to happen again with their infant.
The plan: To hire a English tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the education at the start here is kind of acquired indirectly," said the CEO.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will pick up the English characteristics they wish to cultivate.
He explained the tutor had to be somebody who studied at "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of passions.
More than that though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will result in success and provide access.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he notes.
However, notwithstanding all this guidance in "UK identity", could the child adopt what is termed cultural bias from the multicultural family he is raised by regardless?
"Yes", answered he. "The family understand this could fail, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he said.
Impractical
There are some in the education sector who share these reservations.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who supplies individual instructors, wrote that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
Peter explained that he had emigrated from Asia to the Britain at the period of seven, and had been raised experiencing and embodying dual heritages. He progressed to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that one individual can function as a embodiment of UK identity, a person who can possibly transplant the characteristics of a UK sophisticate to a 12-month-old child, strikes me as naive and impractical," he wrote.
"Based on my background, having a typically English tutor from early childhood will does not instantly produce the goal they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and however I have been fortunate enough to live numerous of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, cultural identity should not be imposed from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, Britishness is something Adam believes can be instructed – and marketed.
"In my view the situation that the international society views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
