"A household based in the northern part of London seeks an extraordinary and skilled educator to assist their smallest child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might readily overlook the wording "first-steps" as mere a turn of phrase.
Yet, it might be the most significant element of this unique employment listing, as it attempts to find a teacher for a one-year-old.
Numerous of responses have now been sent in since the anonymous family posted their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the advert has gained attention across the news, with several wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their quest, stated that in spite of initial doubt, he found the plan "visionary", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they appreciated the atypical character of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
However, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had already become established".
What precisely does the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", he replied. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He said the firstborn had picked up "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family informed Adam they hoped to prevent history to repeat itself with their infant.
The intention: To bring in a English tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the education at the outset here is somewhat osmotic," said Adam.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will acquire the English characteristics they wish to impart.
Adam explained the tutor must be somebody who went to "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Money No Object
The family told the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, skiing, creative fields and music so as to influence the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Additionally though, he stated the family desired the tutor to register the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son become a "UK sophisticate" will bring about success and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he comments.
However, despite all this tutelage in "English culture", might the child absorb what is termed cultural influence from the multicultural family he resides with anyway?
"Absolutely", answered he. "The family know this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the education sector who express similar reservations.
An education leader, head and founder of Blue Education, who supplies personal educators, stated that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
Peter noted that he had emigrated from China to the UK at the age of childhood, and had been brought up experiencing and embodying two backgrounds. He went on to learn at Cambridge University.
"The notion that one individual can act as a living vessel of UK identity, a person who can somehow transplant the attributes of a British gentleman to a one-year-old child, seems to me optimistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"From my perspective, having a quintessentially English tutor from babyhood will will not necessarily create the outcome they want.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and however I have been privileged enough to experience many of the situations they hope for their son."
He added: "The reality is, self-identity cannot be dictated from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Of course, UK identity is something the expert thinks can be instructed – and marketed.
"I think the fact that the international society regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
