"A family located in North London wants to find an remarkable and qualified instructor to assist their most junior child on his initial journey to becoming an English gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might readily overlook the term "first-steps" as simple a turn of phrase.
Yet, it could be the crucial aspect of this unusual position posting, as it aims to find a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Many of applications have already been submitted since the unidentified family published their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has gained notice in the media, with numerous wondering why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their hunt, said that notwithstanding early scepticism, he found the idea "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he said they understood the unconventional character of their request, and how early in age their son is.
But, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had by then set in".
What exactly did the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", he replied. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He stated the firstborn had absorbed "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family told him they wished to avoid the same situation to happen again with their younger child.
The intention: To hire a English tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the education at the start here is rather osmotic," explained the expert.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will pick up the UK customs they want to cultivate.
He said the tutor needed to be somebody who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to him the successful candidate should preferably also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in horse riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he explained the family desired the tutor to register the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will lead to success and create opportunities.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he notes.
Yet, in spite of all this guidance in "English culture", might the child absorb alleged cultural bias from the international family he resides with regardless?
"Absolutely", replied he. "The parents know this may not work, but they've just taken the view of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as early as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he explained.
Impractical
Several in the education sector who express those doubts.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer personal educators, commented that "the journey of embracing two identities, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
Peter noted that he had emigrated from China to the Britain at the period of 7 years old, and had been brought up understanding and embodying two backgrounds. He went on to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The notion that a single person can serve as a representation of Britishness, someone who can somehow impart the qualities of a UK sophisticate upon a 12-month-old child, appears optimistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"From my perspective, engaging a typically British tutor from babyhood will not automatically create the result they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and yet I have been privileged enough to experience numerous of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He stated: "The reality is, self-identity cannot be imposed from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, Britishness is something Adam thinks can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I think the situation that the global community holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
