"A family residing in the northern part of London seeks an remarkable and qualified tutor to assist their most junior child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might easily skip the phrase "first-steps" as simple a turn of phrase.
Yet, it could be the most significant part of this distinctive job advert, as it attempts to hire a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of submissions have now been received since the anonymous family posted their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the advert has gained notice in the press, with many asking why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their quest, stated that in spite of early skepticism, he found the idea "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he noted they recognized the unusual character of their demand, and how immature their son is.
However, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had by then set in".
What exactly did the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam responded. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He stated the firstborn had adopted "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family told him they hoped to prevent the same situation to recur with their younger child.
The strategy: To bring in a UK tutor, who must speak with RP, to guide the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the learning at the start here is rather acquired indirectly," explained the expert.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will adopt the English characteristics they aim to cultivate.
He explained the tutor must be someone who went to "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed Adam the chosen tutor should preferably also have knowledge of or passion in riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Additionally though, he said the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son develop into a "British gentleman" will bring about success and open doors.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he comments.
However, notwithstanding all this instruction in "Britishness", might the child adopt alleged cultural bias from the international family he is raised by in any case?
"Absolutely", said Adam. "The parents know this may not work, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as early as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the education sector who express these reservations.
Another CEO, chief executive of an educational organization, who also offer personal educators, stated that "the development of embracing two identities, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
Peter noted that he had emigrated from China to the Britain at the age of seven, and had been educated experiencing and practicing both cultures. He progressed to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that one individual can act as a representation of English culture, a person who can possibly impart the characteristics of a UK sophisticate upon a 12-month-old child, seems to me optimistic and impractical," he wrote.
"In my experience, having a typically English tutor from babyhood will not automatically achieve the goal they want.
"I never had such a figure, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to live numerous of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, self-identity cannot be imposed from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Of course, English culture is something the expert hopes can be taught – and marketed.
"I think the situation that the global community views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
