"Parents located in the northern part of London seeks an extraordinary and experienced educator to guide their most junior child on his initial journey to turning into an English gentleman."
When reading this post, you might naturally miss the term "first-steps" as mere a turn of phrase.
Yet, it might be the most important element of this unusual job advert, as it aims to recruit a teacher for a one-year-old.
Many of applications have since been sent in since the unidentified family published their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the post has received attention throughout the press, with numerous questioning why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their quest, said that in spite of initial skepticism, he considered the idea "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they recognized the unconventional character of their request, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already become established".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", Adam replied. "How you eat, how you speak".
He explained the elder child had absorbed "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family informed Adam they did not want history to happen again with their infant.
The intention: To hire a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the development at the outset here is rather absorbed naturally," explained Adam.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will pick up the British traits they want to cultivate.
The consultant explained the tutor must be someone who studied at "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Money No Object
The family explained to Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or interest in equestrian activities, skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to shape the child in a wide range of interests.
Additionally though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son develop into a "British gentleman" will result in success and provide access.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he adds.
However, notwithstanding all this guidance in "UK identity", would the child adopt so-called cultural bias from the multicultural family he lives with regardless?
"Yes", answered Adam. "The parents realize this may not work, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'we should try and let's go as soon as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he said.
Impractical
Several in the education sector who express these doubts.
An education leader, head and founder of Blue Education, who provides individual instructors, stated that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
The expert explained that he had moved from Asia to the United Kingdom at the period of 7 years old, and had been educated experiencing and practicing two backgrounds. He continued to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that a single person can function as a embodiment of Britishness, a person who can in some way transfer the qualities of a UK sophisticate upon a infant child, appears naive and unrealistic," he commented.
"Based on my background, having a typically English tutor from babyhood will not necessarily create the result they want.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to experience several of the experiences they hope for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, cultural identity should not be forced from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, UK identity is something Adam hopes can be educated – and marketed.
"I believe the fact that the world holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
