"A family located in North London is looking for an exceptional and experienced instructor to guide their smallest child on his early path to becoming an English gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might readily overlook the wording "first-steps" as simple a turn of phrase.
Yet, it may be the crucial part of this unique job advert, as it seeks to recruit a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Many of applications have now been received since the unidentified family posted their search for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the listing has gained interest throughout the media, with several wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their quest, said that despite early doubt, he viewed the plan "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he said they recognized the atypical aspect of their request, and how immature their son is.
However, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural bias had already taken hold".
What exactly does the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", he answered. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the older sibling had picked up "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family explained to Adam they hoped to prevent this pattern to repeat itself with their younger child.
The intention: To engage a British tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the education at the beginning here is rather absorbed naturally," stated the expert.
It's via this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will adopt the UK customs they wish to cultivate.
He explained the tutor had to be someone who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Additionally though, he stated the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, assisting their son develop into a "English gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he adds.
However, in spite of all this tutelage in "UK identity", would the child pick up what is termed cultural influence from the international family he lives with in any case?
"Certainly", answered he. "The family understand this could fail, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'we should try and we should start as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he stated.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the tutoring industry who express these concerns.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who also offer private tutors, commented that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
The expert noted that he had emigrated from China to the UK at the time of childhood, and had been brought up experiencing and embodying both cultures. He went on to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that an individual can act as a living vessel of UK identity, a person who can possibly transfer the attributes of a English gentleman onto a infant child, strikes me as naive and unfeasible," he stated.
"From my perspective, employing a typically UK tutor from babyhood will not instantly create the goal they hope for.
"I never had such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to enjoy many of the situations they hope for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, personal identity can not be forced from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, English culture is something Adam thinks can be educated – and commercialized.
"I believe the situation that the global community holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
