"A family residing in the northern part of London wants to find an remarkable and qualified tutor to assist their youngest child on his early path to turning into an English gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might naturally skip the term "first-steps" as just figurative language.
But, it might be the most important aspect of this unusual position posting, as it aims to hire a tutor for a infant.
Hundreds of submissions have now been sent in since the unidentified family posted their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the listing has attracted attention throughout the press, with several asking why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their quest, explained that notwithstanding early doubt, he viewed the concept "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they understood the unusual aspect of their request, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural bias had by then become established".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert answered. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He said the older sibling had absorbed "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family told him they did not want history to repeat itself with their new baby.
The strategy: To hire a UK tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the development at the outset here is somewhat osmotic," stated Adam.
It's via this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will adopt the British traits they aim to cultivate.
He explained the tutor must be someone who studied at "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Money No Object
The family explained to him the successful candidate should preferably also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in riding, skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a wide range of hobbies.
Additionally though, he explained the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son become a "British gentleman" will lead to success and open doors.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he adds.
However, despite all this instruction in "English culture", would the child absorb what is termed cultural influence from the multicultural family he lives with anyway?
"Absolutely", answered Adam. "They know this may not work, but they've just taken the view of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he explained.
Impractical
A number of in the education sector who express similar doubts.
Another CEO, head and founder of a tutoring service, who provides personal educators, stated that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
He explained that he had moved from China to the United Kingdom at the period of seven, and had been educated experiencing and embodying dual heritages. He went on to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that a single person can function as a representation of Britishness, an individual who can possibly impart the attributes of a English gentleman onto a one-year-old child, seems to me naive and unrealistic," he wrote.
"In my experience, engaging a distinctly UK tutor from early childhood will not automatically achieve the outcome they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and however I have been lucky enough to enjoy many of the situations they hope for their son."
He added: "The fact is, self-identity should not be forced from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, UK identity is something the expert hopes can be taught – and sold.
"I think the situation that the international society holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
