"A family residing in north London is looking for an exceptional and experienced instructor to guide their youngest child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might easily overlook the term "first-steps" as simple a turn of phrase.
Yet, it could be the crucial aspect of this unusual employment listing, as it aims to find a tutor for a one-year-old.
Numerous of submissions have already been submitted since the unnamed family advertised their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the post has received interest across the news, with many questioning why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their quest, said that notwithstanding early doubt, he found the concept "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he mentioned they recognized the unconventional aspect of their demand, and how young their son is.
But, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural influence had by then become established".
What precisely does the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert replied. "How you eat, how you speak".
He explained the elder child had adopted "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family informed the consultant they wished to avoid history to recur with their younger child.
The plan: To engage a English tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the education at the beginning here is somewhat osmotic," said Adam.
It's via this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will acquire the English characteristics they want to instil.
The consultant explained the tutor must be an individual who went to "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator must be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Money No Object
The family informed Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, winter sports, artistic pursuits and music so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son develop into a "English gentleman" will result in accomplishment and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he adds.
However, despite all this guidance in "UK identity", might the child pick up alleged cultural bias from the international family he lives with anyway?
"Certainly", replied he. "The family realize this might not succeed, but they've just taken the view of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he stated.
Impractical
There are some in the education sector who share similar reservations.
Another CEO, chief executive of an educational organization, who supplies personal educators, commented that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
Peter wrote that he had moved from China to the United Kingdom at the age of seven, and had been brought up understanding and embodying both cultures. He progressed to study at Cambridge University.
"The concept that a single person can function as a living vessel of Britishness, an individual who can possibly impart the qualities of a UK sophisticate onto a 12-month-old child, seems to me idealistic and unrealistic," he stated.
"From my perspective, engaging a distinctly UK tutor from early childhood will not necessarily produce the result they want.
"I wasn't provided with 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 fact is, personal identity can not be forced from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, English culture is something Adam believes can be instructed – and marketed.
"I think the fact that the international society holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
