"A household residing in North London is looking for an exceptional and skilled tutor to guide their youngest child on his early path to turning into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might naturally overlook the phrase "first-steps" as just figurative language.
Yet, it could be the crucial aspect of this unique position posting, as it attempts to hire a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Many of responses have since been sent in since the anonymous family published their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the post has gained attention across the media, with several questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their hunt, explained that notwithstanding initial skepticism, he considered the concept "visionary", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he noted they appreciated the unconventional aspect of their request, and how immature their son is.
But, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had already become established".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", he answered. "How you eat, how you speak".
He stated the elder child had picked up "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family informed Adam they wished to avoid the same situation to recur with their younger child.
The plan: To engage a British tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the education at the start here is somewhat acquired indirectly," explained the expert.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will acquire the UK customs they want to impart.
Adam explained the tutor needed to be someone who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in equestrian activities, skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to shape the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
More than that though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son develop into a "British gentleman" will bring about achievement and provide access.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he adds.
However, despite all this tutelage in "UK identity", could the child absorb alleged cultural bias from the multicultural family he is raised by regardless?
"Certainly", answered he. "The parents understand this could fail, but they've just taken the view of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the tutoring industry who express these reservations.
An education leader, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer personal educators, wrote that "the development of embracing two identities, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
Peter wrote that he had emigrated from Asia to the UK at the time of childhood, and had been raised understanding and practicing two backgrounds. He progressed to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that one individual can act as a embodiment of English culture, an individual who can in some way transplant the attributes of a UK sophisticate upon a infant child, appears idealistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"In my experience, having a typically English tutor from infancy will does not necessarily achieve the result they desire.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and however I have been fortunate enough to enjoy several of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He added: "The reality is, self-identity cannot be imposed from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, Britishness is something the CEO thinks can be instructed – and marketed.
"I believe the situation that the global community views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
