"Parents residing in North London seeks an extraordinary and qualified educator to assist their most junior child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might easily skip the term "first-steps" as mere a turn of phrase.
But, it may be the most significant part of this unique job advert, as it aims to hire a teacher for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of submissions have now been sent in since the unidentified family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who must be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the post has received attention throughout the press, with numerous wondering why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their hunt, said that notwithstanding first scepticism, he found the idea "visionary", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he noted they appreciated the unusual character of their requirement, and how young their son is.
But, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already become established".
What precisely does the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam answered. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the elder child had adopted "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family informed Adam they wished to avoid the same situation to repeat itself with their new baby.
The intention: To bring in a English tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the learning at the outset here is kind of absorbed naturally," said the expert.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will adopt the UK customs they wish to cultivate.
He noted the tutor had to be somebody who attended "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to him the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or passion in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to shape the child in a wide range of interests.
More than that though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will lead to achievement and provide access.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he comments.
However, notwithstanding all this guidance in "UK identity", could the child absorb alleged cultural bias from the globally influenced family he lives with anyway?
"Certainly", said he. "They know this could fail, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the tutoring industry who have similar concerns.
Another CEO, chief executive of a tutoring service, who supplies individual instructors, commented that "the journey of embracing two identities, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
He noted that he had relocated from the Far East to the UK at the time of seven, and had been brought up experiencing and embodying two backgrounds. He progressed to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that one individual can serve as a embodiment of Britishness, someone who can possibly transplant the qualities of a English gentleman to a one-year-old child, appears optimistic and impractical," he commented.
"In my experience, employing a distinctly British tutor from early childhood will not necessarily achieve the outcome they desire.
"I did not have such a figure, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to enjoy many of the situations they aspire for their son."
He added: "The fact is, personal identity can not be imposed from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, UK identity is something the expert believes can be instructed – and sold.
"In my view the reality that the international society holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
