"A family based in north London is looking for an extraordinary and experienced instructor to support their smallest child on his early path to turning into an English gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might readily miss the term "first-steps" as simple figurative language.
But, it might be the most significant aspect of this unique employment listing, as it aims to hire a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of applications have since been received since the anonymous family advertised their call for the highly paid tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
In recent few weeks, the listing has received interest across the media, with several wondering why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their quest, stated that despite initial scepticism, he viewed the plan "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he said they appreciated the atypical aspect of their request, and how immature their son is.
But, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already become established".
But what does the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", he replied. "How you eat, how you speak".
He said the firstborn had picked up "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family informed the consultant they hoped to prevent history to recur with their new baby.
The strategy: To bring in a British tutor, who should speak with RP, to shape the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the education at the outset here is somewhat acquired indirectly," said Adam.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will pick up the English characteristics they aim to instil.
The consultant explained the tutor must be someone who went to "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to him the selected educator should preferably also have knowledge of or interest in horse riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to shape the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Additionally though, he stated the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a range of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son become a "English gentleman" will result in accomplishment and provide access.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he comments.
However, despite all this tutelage in "UK identity", might the child absorb what is termed cultural influence from the multicultural family he resides with in any case?
"Yes", answered Adam. "They know this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the private teaching field who have these reservations.
Peter Cui, chief executive of a tutoring service, who supplies personal educators, stated that "the process of becoming bicultural, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
Peter wrote that he had moved from China to the Britain at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised experiencing and living dual heritages. He progressed to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that an individual can act as a representation of Britishness, an individual who can somehow transplant the characteristics of a British gentleman to a 12-month-old child, seems to me optimistic and impractical," he commented.
"Based on my background, having a distinctly English tutor from early childhood will does not automatically achieve the result they desire.
"I never had such a tutor, and however I have been lucky enough to enjoy many of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He stated: "The reality is, cultural identity can not be imposed from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, UK identity is something the CEO hopes can be taught – and marketed.
"I believe the situation that the global community holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
