"A family residing in north London seeks an exceptional and experienced tutor to support their youngest child on his initial journey to turning into an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might readily skip the phrase "first-steps" as simple a turn of phrase.
Yet, it might be the crucial part of this unique employment listing, as it aims to recruit a mentor for a one-year-old.
Many of responses have since been received since the anonymous family posted their call for the highly paid tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
In recent few weeks, the listing has gained notice in the news, with many wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their search, explained that notwithstanding first scepticism, he found the idea "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he said they recognized the atypical aspect of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
However, they clarified 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 already taken hold".
What precisely did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam replied. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He stated the firstborn had picked up "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family explained to the consultant they did not want the same situation to recur with their new baby.
The plan: To hire a English tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to shape the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the development at the beginning here is rather osmotic," explained Adam.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will adopt the UK customs they aim to cultivate.
The consultant noted the tutor needed to be someone who went to "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Money No Object
The family told Adam the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or passion in horse riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he said the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son develop into a "English gentleman" will bring about achievement and provide access.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he comments.
However, despite all this guidance in "English culture", could the child pick up what is termed cultural bias from the international family he lives with anyway?
"Absolutely", said the CEO. "The family realize this could fail, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he stated.
Impractical
A number of in the education sector who share these doubts.
Peter Cui, head and founder of an educational organization, who provides private tutors, stated that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
He noted that he had moved from Asia to the UK at the period of 7 years old, and had been raised experiencing and living both cultures. He continued to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The concept that a single person can act as a living vessel of Britishness, a person who can somehow transplant the attributes of a British gentleman to a infant child, seems to me idealistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"Based on my background, employing a distinctly English tutor from babyhood will does not automatically produce the result they desire.
"I never had such a tutor, and however I have been privileged enough to enjoy many of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, personal identity can not be dictated from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Of course, English culture is something the CEO believes can be taught – and sold.
"I think the reality that the global community holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
