"A family located in the northern part of London is looking for an exceptional and skilled educator to support their most junior child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might easily skip the term "first-steps" as mere figurative language.
But, it might be the crucial aspect of this unique job advert, as it attempts to find a teacher for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of applications have since been sent in since the unidentified family published their call for the highly paid tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the listing has gained notice across the media, with several asking why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their quest, explained that notwithstanding initial scepticism, he found the plan "visionary", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he noted they recognized the unusual aspect of their request, and how early in age their son is.
But, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already become established".
What precisely does the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert answered. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the firstborn had adopted "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family informed the consultant they hoped to prevent history to happen again with their new baby.
The plan: To hire a UK tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the development at the beginning here is somewhat osmotic," said the expert.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will adopt the UK customs they wish to instil.
The consultant said the tutor had to be somebody who attended "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator must be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told the expert the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in horse riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to influence the child in a wide range of passions.
More than that though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son grow into a "English gentleman" will result in accomplishment and provide access.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he notes.
However, in spite of all this tutelage in "UK identity", could the child absorb what is termed cultural influence from the multicultural family he lives with regardless?
"Certainly", said the CEO. "They know this could fail, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as early as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who share similar doubts.
Another CEO, head and founder of Blue Education, who supplies private tutors, wrote that "the journey of embracing two identities, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
The expert noted that he had moved from Asia to the Britain at the time of seven, and had been raised experiencing and living two backgrounds. He went on to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that one individual can function as a representation of UK identity, someone who can somehow transfer the characteristics of a English gentleman upon a one-year-old child, appears naive and unfeasible," he commented.
"Based on my background, engaging a distinctly UK tutor from early childhood will not instantly achieve the result they desire.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to experience many of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He stated: "The reality is, personal identity should not be imposed from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, Britishness is something Adam thinks can be taught – and marketed.
"In my view the reality that the international society views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
