"A family residing in North London wants to find an exceptional and skilled instructor to guide their youngest child on his initial journey to growing into an English gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might readily miss the term "first-steps" as mere an expression.
Yet, it may be the most significant aspect of this distinctive employment listing, as it seeks to recruit a teacher for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of applications have already been submitted since the anonymous family posted their request for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the advert has received attention in the news, with many questioning why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their quest, explained that despite early doubt, he viewed the plan "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he said they understood the atypical character of their request, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already become established".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert answered. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He explained the elder child had absorbed "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family told Adam they hoped to prevent history to repeat itself with their younger child.
The intention: To bring in a English tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the learning at the outset here is kind of absorbed naturally," explained the expert.
It's via this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will acquire the English characteristics they aim to cultivate.
He said the tutor needed to be somebody who studied at "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Money No Object
The family explained to Adam the selected educator should preferably also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he explained the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son become a "UK sophisticate" will bring about achievement and provide access.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he notes.
Yet, in spite of all this guidance in "Britishness", could the child adopt what is termed cultural leaning from the multicultural family he resides with anyway?
"Absolutely", replied Adam. "They understand this could fail, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he explained.
Impractical
Several in the private teaching field who have those reservations.
Another CEO, chief executive of Blue Education, who provides personal educators, commented that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
He noted that he had emigrated from Asia to the UK at the time of seven, and had been brought up knowing and living dual heritages. He went on to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that an individual can act as a representation of English culture, someone who can somehow impart the qualities of a British gentleman upon a one-year-old child, strikes me as idealistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"From my perspective, employing a typically British tutor from early childhood will does not automatically produce the goal they want.
"I never had such a tutor, and however I have been lucky enough to enjoy numerous of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, self-identity should not be forced from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be instructed – and sold.
"In my view the situation that the international society regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
