"A family based in north London wants to find an exceptional and qualified tutor to assist their smallest child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might readily overlook the term "first-steps" as just an expression.
However, it may be the crucial element of this distinctive job advert, as it seeks to find a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Many of applications have now been submitted since the unnamed family published their call for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has gained attention in the media, with numerous wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their quest, explained that notwithstanding early skepticism, he found the plan "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they recognized the unconventional nature of their demand, and how young their son is.
But, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural bias had by then set in".
What exactly does the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam answered. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He said the older sibling had absorbed "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family explained to him they wished to avoid history to repeat itself with their new baby.
The intention: To bring in a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the learning at the start here is somewhat osmotic," explained the CEO.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will pick up the English characteristics they want to cultivate.
Adam explained the tutor needed to be someone who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told Adam the successful candidate should preferably also have familiarity of or passion in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to influence the child in a diverse set of interests.
More than that though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will bring about success and create opportunities.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he adds.
But, notwithstanding all this instruction in "Britishness", might the child pick up alleged cultural bias from the multicultural family he resides with anyway?
"Yes", answered he. "The parents realize this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the education sector who express these reservations.
An education leader, chief executive of a tutoring service, who supplies private tutors, commented that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
Peter wrote that he had relocated from China to the UK at the age of seven, and had been educated experiencing and living two backgrounds. He continued to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that a single person can function as a embodiment of Britishness, an individual who can in some way impart the attributes of a British gentleman upon a one-year-old child, seems to me naive and impractical," he stated.
"From my perspective, employing a typically English tutor from infancy will does not instantly achieve the result they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to live many of the situations they aspire for their son."
He added: "The fact is, cultural identity can not be forced from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, UK identity is something the CEO hopes can be instructed – and sold.
"I think the fact that the world holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
