"Parents residing in north London is looking for an extraordinary and skilled instructor to guide their smallest child on his initial journey to turning into an English gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might readily overlook the term "first-steps" as just a turn of phrase.
But, it might be the most important aspect of this unusual employment listing, as it aims to hire a teacher for a infant.
Hundreds of applications have since been received since the anonymous family published their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the listing has received notice across the news, with numerous wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, chief executive of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their search, stated that despite initial doubt, he considered the idea "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they recognized the unusual character of their request, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had by then taken hold".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam answered. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He explained the older sibling had picked up "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family told Adam they wished to avoid the same situation to happen again with their younger child.
The intention: To engage a UK tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the development at the start here is somewhat osmotic," explained the expert.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will pick up the British traits they aim to instil.
Adam said the tutor had to be somebody who went to "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to the expert the chosen tutor should preferably also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in horse riding, alpine skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Additionally though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son grow into a "British gentleman" will lead to success and provide access.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he comments.
Yet, despite all this guidance in "UK identity", might the child pick up so-called cultural bias from the globally influenced family he lives with regardless?
"Certainly", replied Adam. "The family know this could fail, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as soon as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Impractical
Several in the private teaching field who have those doubts.
Another CEO, chief executive of an educational organization, who also offer private tutors, commented that "the development of becoming bicultural, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
Peter explained that he had relocated from Asia to the Britain at the time of 7 years old, and had been educated knowing and living dual heritages. He went on to learn at Cambridge University.
"The concept that an individual can function as a embodiment of UK identity, an individual who can in some way impart the attributes of a UK sophisticate onto a infant child, seems to me idealistic and unrealistic," he stated.
"In my experience, engaging a typically British tutor from early childhood will not automatically achieve the result they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and yet I have been privileged enough to experience several of the experiences they hope for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, self-identity cannot be imposed from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, English culture is something the CEO thinks can be educated – and sold.
"I believe the reality that the world regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
