"A family residing in the northern part of London seeks an remarkable and skilled tutor to support their most junior child on his early path to turning into an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might naturally miss the term "first-steps" as just an expression.
But, it might be the most important element of this unique position posting, as it seeks to recruit a teacher for a infant.
Hundreds of applications have now been received since the unidentified family advertised their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the post has attracted attention across the press, with numerous asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their hunt, explained that despite first doubt, he viewed the idea "visionary", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he noted they understood the atypical character of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had by then set in".
What precisely does the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam responded. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the elder child had adopted "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family informed him they wished to avoid this pattern to repeat itself with their younger child.
The strategy: To engage a English tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the education at the start here is rather osmotic," stated Adam.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will acquire the UK customs they want to cultivate.
He said the tutor had to be someone who attended "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Money No Object
The family told the expert the selected educator should preferably also have knowledge of or passion in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, the arts and music so as to influence the child in a diverse set of passions.
Additionally though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son become a "British gentleman" will result in achievement and provide access.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he notes.
However, despite all this tutelage in "UK identity", might the child adopt so-called cultural bias from the multicultural family he lives with regardless?
"Yes", said the CEO. "The parents know this could fail, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'we should try and let's go as soon as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he explained.
Impractical
Several in the education sector who share these concerns.
Another CEO, head and founder of a tutoring service, who provides personal educators, commented that "the process of becoming bicultural, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
Peter explained that he had emigrated from China to the United Kingdom at the time of 7 years old, and had been raised knowing and practicing two backgrounds. He went on to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that a single person can act as a embodiment of UK identity, an individual who can somehow impart the attributes of a British gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, seems to me optimistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"In my experience, employing a typically UK tutor from babyhood will not automatically produce the result they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and however I have been privileged enough to enjoy several of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, cultural identity should not be forced from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be educated – and commercialized.
"I think the reality that the global community regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
