"Parents located in north London wants to find an exceptional and qualified educator to assist their youngest child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might naturally skip the phrase "first-steps" as mere a turn of phrase.
Yet, it may be the most significant element of this unusual employment listing, as it attempts to find a mentor for a one-year-old.
Many of applications have now been sent in since the unidentified family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the advert has received attention throughout the media, with many questioning why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their quest, stated that in spite of initial scepticism, he found the concept "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unconventional nature of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already become established".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam responded. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the firstborn had adopted "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family informed him they hoped to prevent this pattern to repeat itself with their new baby.
The strategy: To engage a English tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the learning at the beginning here is somewhat absorbed naturally," stated the expert.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will pick up the English characteristics they want to cultivate.
The consultant said the tutor must be somebody who went to "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed him the selected educator should preferably also have familiarity of or passion in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to influence the child in a diverse set of interests.
More than that though, he explained the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, assisting their son grow into a "British gentleman" will bring about achievement and provide access.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he notes.
However, in spite of all this instruction in "Britishness", could the child absorb alleged cultural bias from the international family he resides with in any case?
"Absolutely", replied Adam. "The family understand this may not work, but they've just taken the view of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Impractical
A number of in the private teaching field who have similar doubts.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who supplies individual instructors, commented that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
Peter noted that he had moved from Asia to the UK at the time of 7 years old, and had been raised knowing and embodying two backgrounds. He continued to study at Cambridge University.
"The idea that an individual can function as a embodiment of UK identity, an individual who can somehow impart the attributes of a British gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, appears idealistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"From my perspective, engaging a quintessentially English tutor from babyhood will will not necessarily achieve the result they hope for.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to live numerous of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, self-identity cannot be dictated from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, English culture is something the CEO thinks can be educated – and commercialized.
"I think the reality that the international society regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
