"A household residing in the northern part of London is looking for an exceptional and skilled educator to guide their youngest child on his early path to turning into an English gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might readily miss the wording "first-steps" as just a turn of phrase.
Yet, it could be the most significant part of this distinctive position posting, as it seeks to hire a mentor for a one-year-old.
Many of responses have now been submitted since the unidentified family published their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has received notice across the media, with numerous asking why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their search, stated that in spite of first scepticism, he found the idea "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he said they recognized the unusual character of their request, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural bias had already become established".
But what did the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", he replied. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the elder child had picked up "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family told him they wished to avoid history to recur with their younger child.
The plan: To engage a British tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the learning at the start here is somewhat absorbed naturally," said Adam.
It's through this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will acquire the English characteristics they aim to impart.
He said the tutor needed to be someone who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed him the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a wide range of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a range of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son develop into a "English gentleman" will lead to achievement and create opportunities.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he comments.
However, in spite of all this guidance in "Britishness", could the child absorb alleged cultural influence from the multicultural family he resides with in any case?
"Absolutely", said he. "The parents know this could fail, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he said.
Impractical
A number of in the private teaching field who share these doubts.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who also offer private tutors, commented that "the development of becoming bicultural, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
Peter noted that he had relocated from the Far East to the UK at the age of seven, and had been brought up understanding and embodying both cultures. He progressed to learn at Cambridge University.
"The notion that an individual can act as a living vessel of Britishness, someone who can in some way transfer the characteristics of a UK sophisticate upon a 12-month-old child, seems to me naive and impractical," he stated.
"In my experience, employing a distinctly English tutor from babyhood will will not automatically create the goal they hope for.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and yet I have been lucky enough to experience several of the situations they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The reality is, cultural identity can not be imposed from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, English culture is something the expert hopes can be instructed – and marketed.
"In my view the reality that the world regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
