"A family located in the northern part of London seeks an extraordinary and qualified instructor to guide their youngest child on his early path to turning into an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might naturally miss the term "first-steps" as just an expression.
But, it might be the most important element of this unusual employment listing, as it seeks to find a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Many of submissions have since been received since the unnamed family published their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
In recent few weeks, the advert has attracted notice across the news, with numerous wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, head and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their quest, said that notwithstanding early scepticism, he viewed the idea "visionary", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he noted they understood the unusual nature of their request, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already taken hold".
What precisely does the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", the expert replied. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the older sibling had absorbed "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family informed the consultant they did not want this pattern to happen again with their new baby.
The plan: To engage a British tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the development at the outset here is rather osmotic," explained Adam.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will pick up the UK customs they want to cultivate.
The consultant said the tutor must be somebody who studied at "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor must be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Money No Object
The family told Adam the selected educator should preferably also have understanding of or passion in equestrian activities, skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he explained the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a range of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son become a "English gentleman" will bring about achievement and create opportunities.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he notes.
However, in spite of all this tutelage in "Britishness", would the child absorb what is termed cultural leaning from the international family he resides with in any case?
"Absolutely", replied he. "They understand this may not work, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the education sector who express those concerns.
Peter Cui, head and founder of Blue Education, who provides private tutors, commented that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
He wrote that he had moved from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the age of seven, and had been raised experiencing and embodying both cultures. He progressed to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that a single person can function as a embodiment of English culture, a person who can in some way transfer the characteristics of a UK sophisticate to a 12-month-old child, appears idealistic and unrealistic," he stated.
"In my experience, engaging a quintessentially UK tutor from babyhood will does not necessarily produce the result they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and however I have been privileged enough to experience numerous of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, self-identity can not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, Britishness is something the expert believes can be taught – and commercialized.
"In my view the situation that the global community views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
