"A household based in north London is looking for an extraordinary and qualified instructor to assist their smallest child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might readily miss the term "first-steps" as just figurative language.
However, it may be the crucial element of this unique job advert, as it attempts to find a mentor for a one-year-old.
Many of submissions have since been sent in since the anonymous family posted their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the listing has received interest across the press, with numerous wondering why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, head and founder of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their quest, explained that notwithstanding early skepticism, he found the idea "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he mentioned they understood the unconventional aspect of their request, and how young their son is.
But, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already set in".
What precisely did the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam responded. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the older sibling had absorbed "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family told the consultant they did not want the same situation to recur with their new baby.
The strategy: To bring in a English tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the learning at the start here is rather osmotic," explained the expert.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will adopt the UK customs they wish to cultivate.
He explained the tutor needed to be somebody who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told the expert the successful candidate should preferably also have familiarity of or passion in horse riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to inspire the child in a wide range of interests.
Furthermore though, he stated the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son grow into a "British gentleman" will bring about success and provide access.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he adds.
However, in spite of all this instruction in "English culture", might the child pick up what is termed cultural influence from the multicultural family he resides with regardless?
"Certainly", replied the CEO. "They realize this may not work, but they've just taken the view of, 'we should try and let's go as early as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the education sector who express similar reservations.
An education leader, chief executive of an educational organization, who supplies individual instructors, commented that "the journey of embracing two identities, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
Peter explained that he had relocated from the Far East to the Britain at the period of 7 years old, and had been raised knowing and embodying both cultures. He progressed to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that one individual can act as a embodiment of English culture, a person who can possibly transplant the characteristics of a British gentleman to a one-year-old child, strikes me as optimistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"From my perspective, having a typically UK tutor from babyhood will not automatically create the outcome they hope for.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and yet I have been privileged enough to live numerous of the experiences they desire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, cultural identity should not be imposed from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, English culture is something the CEO thinks can be taught – and sold.
"I think the situation that the international society views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
