"A family residing in north London seeks an extraordinary and qualified tutor to assist their smallest child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might readily overlook the term "first-steps" as simple a turn of phrase.
But, it may be the crucial element of this unusual employment listing, as it aims to recruit a mentor for a one-year-old.
Many of submissions have now been received since the anonymous family advertised their search for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the listing has gained attention in the media, with several wondering why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their hunt, explained that despite initial doubt, he considered the idea "visionary", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they recognized the unconventional aspect of their request, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited 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 predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam replied. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He stated the older sibling had adopted "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family explained to the consultant they did not want history to recur with their younger child.
The strategy: To bring in a British tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the education at the beginning here is rather osmotic," explained Adam.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will acquire the English characteristics they wish to instil.
He said the tutor must be someone who studied at "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told him the successful candidate should preferably also have familiarity of or interest in horse riding, alpine skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a wide range of passions.
Furthermore though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will result in accomplishment and create opportunities.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he comments.
But, despite all this instruction in "UK identity", might the child adopt alleged cultural influence from the international family he is raised by in any case?
"Absolutely", replied the CEO. "They understand this could fail, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'we should try and let's go as early as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the tutoring industry who have similar concerns.
An education leader, chief executive of Blue Education, who also offer private tutors, commented that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
The expert explained that he had moved from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the age of 7 years old, and had been educated knowing and living two backgrounds. He went on to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that an individual can function as a embodiment of UK identity, someone who can in some way impart the attributes of a British gentleman to a one-year-old child, appears naive and impractical," he wrote.
"From my perspective, employing a distinctly UK tutor from early childhood will not automatically create the outcome they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to experience many of the situations they aspire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, self-identity should not be forced from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be educated – and marketed.
"I believe the reality that the international society regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
