"A family located in the northern part of London wants to find an exceptional and qualified educator to support their most junior child on his initial journey to growing into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might easily skip the wording "first-steps" as simple an expression.
However, it might be the most important aspect of this unique employment listing, as it aims to find a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of applications have now been submitted since the anonymous family advertised their search for the highly paid tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has received interest across the press, with many asking why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their quest, said that in spite of first doubt, he considered the plan "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unconventional nature of their request, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural influence had by then taken hold".
What exactly did the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", the expert replied. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the firstborn had absorbed "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family explained to the consultant they hoped to prevent this pattern to recur with their infant.
The strategy: To bring in a English tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the education at the outset here is somewhat acquired indirectly," explained the expert.
It's through this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will pick up the UK customs they wish to impart.
The consultant explained the tutor must be somebody who attended "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Money No Object
The family explained to him the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in riding, alpine skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a wide range of passions.
More than that though, he said the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will result in success and provide access.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he notes.
But, in spite of all this tutelage in "English culture", might the child pick up alleged cultural bias from the globally influenced family he is raised by anyway?
"Absolutely", said he. "The family know this may not work, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he stated.
Impractical
Several in the education sector who express these reservations.
Peter Cui, head and founder of a tutoring service, who provides individual instructors, stated that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not designed."
Peter noted that he had emigrated from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the time of 7 years old, and had been brought up understanding and practicing two backgrounds. He continued to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that an individual can act as a representation of English culture, someone who can in some way impart the characteristics of a English gentleman onto a infant child, strikes me as naive and unrealistic," he wrote.
"From my perspective, having a quintessentially English tutor from babyhood will not automatically create the goal they desire.
"I never had such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to live numerous of the situations they hope for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, self-identity should not be forced from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, Britishness is something Adam hopes can be instructed – and sold.
"In my view the situation that the world holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
