"A family residing in North London wants to find an exceptional and qualified educator to support their smallest child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might readily overlook the term "first-steps" as just figurative language.
But, it might be the most significant aspect of this unique job advert, as it attempts to find a teacher for a infant.
Hundreds of responses have now been received since the anonymous family advertised their call for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted interest throughout the news, with many wondering why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their quest, said that despite initial scepticism, he viewed the plan "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he noted they understood the unconventional character of their requirement, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural bias had already become established".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", he replied. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the older sibling had absorbed "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family told him they hoped to prevent history to recur with their younger child.
The plan: To hire a British tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the learning at the beginning here is kind of acquired indirectly," said the CEO.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will adopt the English characteristics they aim to instil.
He explained the tutor must be an individual who went to "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Money No Object
The family explained to the expert the selected educator should preferably also have understanding of or enthusiasm in horse riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to shape the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
More than that though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of courses 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 minds, guiding their son grow into a "English gentleman" will lead to achievement and open doors.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he comments.
But, notwithstanding all this instruction in "English culture", could the child adopt what is termed cultural bias from the international family he is raised by in any case?
"Yes", replied he. "The family realize this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he said.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the education sector who have these doubts.
An education leader, head and founder of an educational organization, who provides private tutors, commented that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
The expert noted that he had moved from China to the Britain at the time of 7 years old, and had been brought up understanding and embodying both cultures. He went on to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that a single person can serve as a embodiment of UK identity, a person who can possibly transfer the attributes of a UK sophisticate to a 12-month-old child, seems to me naive and unfeasible," he wrote.
"From my perspective, employing a typically British tutor from infancy will will not necessarily create the outcome they hope for.
"I never had such a figure, and yet I have been lucky enough to enjoy many of the experiences they hope for their son."
He added: "The truth is, self-identity should not be imposed from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, English culture is something Adam hopes can be educated – and commercialized.
"I believe the situation that the world views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
