"A household located in the northern part of London seeks an remarkable and skilled instructor to support their youngest child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might readily miss the term "first-steps" as mere a turn of phrase.
However, it may be the most significant part of this unique employment listing, as it aims to find a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of responses have since been submitted since the unnamed family published their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the post has gained notice throughout the media, with numerous asking why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, chief executive of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their search, said that notwithstanding early skepticism, he considered the idea "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unusual character of their demand, and how young their son is.
But, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had by then taken hold".
What exactly does the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert responded. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the elder child had picked up "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family told the consultant they wished to avoid the same situation to recur with their younger child.
The intention: To hire a UK tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the development at the beginning here is kind of absorbed naturally," said the expert.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will acquire the English characteristics they want to instil.
He said the tutor must be an individual who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told the expert the successful candidate should preferably also have understanding of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, skiing, creative fields and music so as to shape the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son grow into a "English gentleman" will lead to success and open doors.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he notes.
However, despite all this guidance in "English culture", could the child pick up so-called cultural bias from the globally influenced family he resides with regardless?
"Yes", said Adam. "The family realize this could fail, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the private teaching field who express those concerns.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who provides individual instructors, wrote that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
He explained that he had emigrated from Asia to the Britain at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised knowing and living dual heritages. He progressed to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The idea that one individual can act as a living vessel of UK identity, someone who can somehow transplant the attributes of a UK sophisticate onto a one-year-old child, strikes me as optimistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"In my experience, employing a distinctly English tutor from early childhood will does not instantly produce the goal they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and yet I have been lucky enough to live numerous of the situations they desire for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, personal identity should not be dictated from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, Britishness is something Adam hopes can be taught – and sold.
"In my view the situation that the global community holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
