"A family based in north London seeks an exceptional and qualified tutor to guide their smallest child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might easily overlook the phrase "first-steps" as mere figurative language.
But, it might be the crucial aspect of this distinctive job advert, as it seeks to hire a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of responses have now been submitted since the unnamed family posted their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the post has received interest in the media, with numerous questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their search, stated that despite initial skepticism, he found the idea "visionary", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he noted they appreciated the unusual nature of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
But, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had by then become established".
What precisely does the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", the expert responded. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the firstborn had absorbed "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family informed him they did not want the same situation to recur with their infant.
The plan: To bring in a British tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the education at the start here is rather absorbed naturally," stated the expert.
It's via this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will acquire the UK customs they aim to instil.
Adam explained the tutor needed to be an individual who went to "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told Adam the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in horse riding, skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a wide range of hobbies.
Additionally though, he said the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son become a "English gentleman" will lead to success and open doors.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he notes.
But, despite all this instruction in "UK identity", might the child adopt so-called cultural influence from the multicultural family he is raised by anyway?
"Certainly", said he. "The parents understand this may not work, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as early as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the private teaching field who share similar concerns.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who provides private tutors, wrote that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
He noted that he had relocated from China to the Britain at the period of 7 years old, and had been educated experiencing and practicing both cultures. He continued to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that a single person can serve as a embodiment of UK identity, someone who can possibly impart the attributes of a UK sophisticate to a one-year-old child, appears optimistic and impractical," he stated.
"From my perspective, engaging a distinctly British tutor from babyhood will does not instantly produce the goal they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and yet I have been privileged enough to enjoy many of the situations they aspire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, self-identity can not be forced from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, UK identity is something the expert believes can be educated – and marketed.
"I believe the fact that the international society views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
