"Parents located in North London is looking for an remarkable and skilled instructor to assist their most junior child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might naturally skip the wording "first-steps" as just figurative language.
However, it might be the crucial element of this unique job advert, as it attempts to hire a teacher for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of applications have already been received since the unnamed family advertised their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the post has received attention throughout the press, with several wondering why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their hunt, said that notwithstanding first doubt, he considered the idea "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they understood the unusual aspect of their request, and how early in age their son is.
But, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already set in".
What exactly did the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam responded. "How you eat, how you speak".
He said the firstborn had absorbed "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family informed the consultant they hoped to prevent this pattern to recur with their younger child.
The strategy: To engage a English tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the learning at the beginning here is somewhat absorbed naturally," said the CEO.
It's through this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will acquire the English characteristics they aim to cultivate.
The consultant explained the tutor needed to be someone who studied at "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or interest in equestrian activities, winter sports, creative fields and music so as to shape the child in a diverse set of passions.
More than that though, he said the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son become a "English gentleman" will lead to success and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he adds.
But, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "Britishness", would the child pick up alleged cultural leaning from the multicultural family he lives with in any case?
"Certainly", answered he. "The parents know this could fail, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the private teaching field who express similar concerns.
An education leader, head and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer private tutors, stated that "the development of embracing two identities, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
The expert noted that he had moved from Asia to the Britain at the period of seven, and had been educated knowing and practicing dual heritages. He went on to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that an individual can act as a living vessel of Britishness, someone who can possibly transplant the characteristics of a English gentleman to a one-year-old child, strikes me as idealistic and impractical," he wrote.
"In my experience, engaging a typically English tutor from babyhood will will not instantly produce the outcome they desire.
"I never had such a tutor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to experience many of the experiences they desire for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, self-identity should not be forced from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, English culture is something Adam hopes can be instructed – and sold.
"In my view the reality that the international society holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
