"Parents located in the northern part of London wants to find an exceptional and experienced instructor to guide their most junior child on his early path to turning into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might easily skip the term "first-steps" as just an expression.
But, it could be the crucial part of this distinctive position posting, as it aims to hire a mentor for a one-year-old.
Numerous of submissions have already been sent in since the unidentified family published their search for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
In recent few weeks, the advert has received attention throughout the news, with many asking why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their search, explained that in spite of initial skepticism, he found the concept "visionary", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unusual aspect of their demand, and how young their son is.
But, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural bias had already become established".
But what does the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert replied. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He explained the elder child had adopted "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family informed the consultant they wished to avoid the same situation to recur with their younger child.
The plan: To bring in a UK tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the education at the outset here is rather acquired indirectly," explained the CEO.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will acquire the English characteristics they want to cultivate.
The consultant noted the tutor must be somebody who went to "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to the expert the chosen tutor should preferably also have knowledge of or passion in equestrian activities, winter sports, creative fields and musical activities so as to shape the child in a wide range of interests.
Furthermore though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son become a "UK sophisticate" will bring about accomplishment and provide access.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he adds.
However, notwithstanding all this guidance in "Britishness", might the child pick up alleged cultural influence from the international family he is raised by anyway?
"Certainly", replied he. "They understand 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 price of it is not relevant," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who share similar doubts.
Another CEO, head and founder of Blue Education, who supplies private tutors, wrote that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
The expert noted that he had relocated from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the period of 7 years old, and had been brought up knowing and practicing two backgrounds. He went on to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that an individual can act as a embodiment of English culture, an individual who can somehow transplant the attributes of a English gentleman onto a infant child, appears naive and unrealistic," he commented.
"In my experience, engaging a quintessentially British tutor from early childhood will does not necessarily produce the result they hope for.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and however I have been privileged enough to live numerous of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, self-identity cannot be forced from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, UK identity is something the expert thinks can be taught – and sold.
"In my view the reality that the international society views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
