"A family located in North London wants to find an exceptional and experienced tutor to support their youngest child on his initial journey to becoming an English gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might naturally overlook the term "first-steps" as mere figurative language.
However, it could be the most important aspect of this distinctive position posting, as it aims to hire a teacher for a infant.
Many of applications have now been received since the unnamed family published their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has received attention in the press, with several wondering why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, chief executive of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their hunt, explained that despite initial doubt, he viewed the plan "visionary", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they understood the unusual character of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
However, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already set in".
What exactly does the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", he answered. "How you eat, how you speak".
He said the firstborn had picked up "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family explained to the consultant they wished to avoid history to recur with their younger child.
The intention: To engage a UK tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the development at the start here is rather absorbed naturally," explained the CEO.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will adopt the English characteristics they want to cultivate.
The consultant noted the tutor had to be someone who studied at "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Money No Object
The family explained to Adam the chosen tutor should preferably also have understanding of or interest in horse riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and music so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
Additionally though, he said the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a range of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son develop into a "English gentleman" will result in accomplishment and provide access.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he comments.
However, despite all this instruction in "UK identity", could the child absorb so-called cultural influence from the multicultural family he lives with in any case?
"Absolutely", said Adam. "They realize this may not work, but they've just taken the view of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he explained.
Impractical
A number of in the tutoring industry who share those concerns.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who provides private tutors, commented that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
Peter wrote that he had moved from the Far East to the UK at the time of seven, and had been educated experiencing and living dual heritages. He went on to learn at Cambridge University.
"The concept that one individual can serve as a living vessel of English culture, an individual who can somehow impart the qualities of a English gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, strikes me as idealistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"Based on my background, employing a distinctly British tutor from early childhood will will not automatically create the result they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to experience several of the situations they desire for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, cultural identity cannot be forced from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, English culture is something Adam hopes can be educated – and sold.
"I think the situation that the world holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
