"A household located in north London wants to find an remarkable and skilled instructor to support their smallest child on his initial journey to turning into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might naturally skip the term "first-steps" as mere figurative language.
Yet, it might be the most significant part of this distinctive position posting, as it aims to find a teacher for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of applications have now been sent in since the unnamed family posted their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the listing has received notice in the news, with numerous questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their quest, explained that notwithstanding initial skepticism, he viewed the concept "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he mentioned they recognized the atypical aspect of their request, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already set in".
What exactly does the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert responded. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He said the older sibling had adopted "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family told him they hoped to prevent history to repeat itself with their new baby.
The intention: To bring in a UK tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the learning at the beginning here is rather osmotic," explained the CEO.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will acquire the British traits they aim to instil.
The consultant said the tutor needed to be an individual who went to "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Money No Object
The family explained to him the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Furthermore though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will lead to success and open doors.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he comments.
Yet, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "Britishness", might the child pick up so-called cultural bias from the international family he resides with anyway?
"Yes", answered Adam. "They realize this might not succeed, but they've just taken the view of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the education sector who have those concerns.
Peter Cui, head and founder of a tutoring service, who supplies personal educators, wrote that "the process of becoming bicultural, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
He explained that he had emigrated from China to the UK at the age of seven, and had been brought up knowing and living dual heritages. He continued to learn at Cambridge University.
"The concept that a single person can function as a embodiment of English culture, someone who can possibly transfer the characteristics of a UK sophisticate upon a one-year-old child, strikes me as naive and unfeasible," he stated.
"Based on my background, engaging a distinctly English tutor from infancy will does not necessarily achieve the goal they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to experience numerous of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, cultural identity should not be forced from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the CEO thinks can be instructed – and commercialized.
"In my view the fact that the global community views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
