"Parents based in North London seeks an extraordinary and skilled educator to assist their smallest child on his early path to becoming an English gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might naturally overlook the phrase "first-steps" as simple a turn of phrase.
But, it could be the most significant part of this unique employment listing, as it aims to find a mentor for a infant.
Hundreds of responses have now been submitted since the anonymous family advertised their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the post has gained interest throughout the news, with several asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, chief executive of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their hunt, explained that despite first doubt, he viewed the idea "visionary", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he said they recognized the unconventional character of their request, and how young their son is.
But, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
What precisely did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam answered. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He stated the elder child had absorbed "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family informed him they hoped to prevent the same situation to happen again with their new baby.
The strategy: To bring in a UK tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the learning at the start here is rather absorbed naturally," explained the expert.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will acquire the British traits they want to cultivate.
The consultant said the tutor needed to be somebody who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Money No Object
The family told the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
Furthermore though, he explained the family desired the tutor to register the child on a range of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will lead to success and create opportunities.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he adds.
Yet, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "UK identity", might the child absorb alleged cultural bias from the globally influenced family he is raised by in any case?
"Yes", answered the CEO. "They realize this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the education sector who express these doubts.
Another CEO, head and founder of an educational organization, who supplies private tutors, commented that "the process of embracing two identities, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
Peter wrote that he had relocated from China to the United Kingdom at the time of childhood, and had been raised experiencing and living two backgrounds. He progressed to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that one individual can serve as a embodiment of Britishness, an individual who can possibly impart the characteristics of a UK sophisticate to a 12-month-old child, appears naive and unfeasible," he commented.
"From my perspective, engaging a typically UK tutor from babyhood will does not automatically achieve the goal they hope for.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and yet I have been lucky enough to enjoy several of the situations they aspire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, cultural identity should not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Of course, English culture is something the CEO thinks can be instructed – and sold.
"I think the fact that the world holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
