"A family located in North London is looking for an remarkable and qualified educator to guide their youngest child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might naturally overlook the wording "first-steps" as mere an expression.
But, it might be the most important aspect of this distinctive job advert, as it attempts to find a tutor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of responses have now been sent in since the anonymous family advertised their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the post has gained notice in the news, with many asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, head and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their hunt, stated that notwithstanding first doubt, he viewed the idea "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unusual nature of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had already set in".
What precisely did the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam responded. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He said the firstborn had adopted "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family told the consultant they hoped to prevent the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The plan: To hire a English tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the education at the beginning here is rather osmotic," said the expert.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will adopt the English characteristics they wish to impart.
The consultant said the tutor must be somebody who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in horse riding, winter sports, creative fields and musical activities so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
Furthermore though, he stated the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son grow into a "English gentleman" will bring about achievement and provide access.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he notes.
However, despite all this tutelage in "UK identity", would the child adopt so-called cultural leaning from the multicultural family he is raised by anyway?
"Yes", answered the CEO. "The parents know this could fail, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Impractical
A number of in the tutoring industry who have those reservations.
An education leader, head and founder of a tutoring service, who supplies private tutors, commented that "the development of embracing two identities, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
He noted that he had moved from Asia to the United Kingdom at the period of seven, and had been educated understanding and living two backgrounds. He progressed to study at Cambridge University.
"The notion that an individual can serve as a embodiment of UK identity, someone who can somehow impart the qualities of a UK sophisticate onto a infant child, seems to me optimistic and unrealistic," he stated.
"In my experience, having a distinctly English tutor from babyhood will not necessarily achieve the outcome they want.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and however I have been fortunate enough to enjoy many of the experiences they hope for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, personal identity cannot be forced from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the CEO thinks can be instructed – and sold.
"In my view the reality that the world regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
