"A family residing in north London seeks an extraordinary and qualified educator to assist their smallest child on his initial journey to growing into an English gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might naturally overlook the term "first-steps" as just figurative language.
But, it could be the most significant aspect of this unique job advert, as it seeks to find a teacher for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of applications have since been received since the unidentified family advertised their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has gained interest in the media, with numerous questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their hunt, said that in spite of first doubt, he found the idea "visionary", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he noted they recognized the unconventional nature of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
But, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already set in".
What precisely did the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", he replied. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He said the firstborn had adopted "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family told him they wished to avoid history to recur with their infant.
The intention: To bring in a British tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the development at the outset here is rather osmotic," stated the CEO.
It's via this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will pick up the UK customs they wish to impart.
He said the tutor must be someone who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator must be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or interest in equestrian activities, skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a wide range of hobbies.
Additionally though, he said the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son become a "British gentleman" will bring about success and create opportunities.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he notes.
Yet, in spite of all this tutelage in "Britishness", could the child absorb what is termed cultural leaning from the multicultural family he lives with in any case?
"Absolutely", said the CEO. "The parents realize this might not succeed, but they've just taken the view of, 'we should try and let's go as early as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the tutoring industry who share similar doubts.
Peter Cui, head and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer private tutors, stated that "the development of becoming bicultural, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
Peter explained that he had moved from the Far East to the Britain at the time of 7 years old, and had been raised experiencing and embodying both cultures. He continued to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that a single person can function as a living vessel of UK identity, an individual who can in some way impart the qualities of a English gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, appears optimistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"Based on my background, employing a typically English tutor from babyhood will will not automatically produce the outcome they hope for.
"I did not have such a tutor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to experience several of the experiences they desire for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, personal identity cannot be forced from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, UK identity is something Adam hopes can be educated – and marketed.
"I think the fact that the international society views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
