"Parents residing in north London wants to find an exceptional and skilled tutor to support their smallest child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might readily miss the wording "first-steps" as just an expression.
But, it might be the most important element of this distinctive job advert, as it attempts to hire a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of submissions have now been sent in since the anonymous family advertised their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the listing has received attention throughout the news, with numerous wondering why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their search, said that despite initial skepticism, he viewed the concept "visionary", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he mentioned they understood the unconventional character of their demand, and how young their son is.
But, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
What exactly did the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", he replied. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the elder child had picked up "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family explained to him they did not want the same situation to repeat itself with their younger child.
The intention: To hire a British tutor, who should speak with RP, to shape the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the education at the start here is rather absorbed naturally," explained the CEO.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will adopt the UK customs they want to cultivate.
Adam explained the tutor must be an individual who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator must be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Money No Object
The family informed Adam the successful candidate should preferably also have familiarity of or interest in riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
More than that though, he stated the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a range of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son grow into a "English gentleman" will result in success and open doors.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he comments.
But, notwithstanding all this guidance in "English culture", would the child pick up alleged cultural leaning from the international family he lives with regardless?
"Yes", answered Adam. "The parents realize this may not work, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the private teaching field who have similar concerns.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who also offer individual instructors, stated that "the development of becoming bicultural, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
Peter wrote that he had moved from China to the Britain at the age of seven, and had been educated understanding and embodying both cultures. He progressed to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that an individual can function as a living vessel of Britishness, a person who can possibly transfer the attributes of a English gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, appears optimistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"From my perspective, having a typically English tutor from infancy will not automatically achieve the goal they hope for.
"I did not have such a figure, and however I have been lucky enough to enjoy several of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, self-identity should not be forced from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, UK identity is something the CEO believes can be taught – and sold.
"I think the fact that the international society regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
