"A family located in the northern part of London wants to find an exceptional and skilled tutor to assist their smallest child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might naturally overlook the wording "first-steps" as just an expression.
However, it could be the most important aspect of this unusual employment listing, as it seeks to recruit a mentor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of responses have already been sent in since the anonymous family posted their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted interest throughout the news, with several questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, head and founder of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their quest, said that in spite of initial scepticism, he viewed the idea "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he said they understood the atypical 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 held off until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already set in".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert responded. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He said the elder child had absorbed "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family informed Adam they hoped to prevent the same situation to happen again with their new baby.
The intention: To bring in a British tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the development at the start here is rather osmotic," stated the CEO.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will acquire the English characteristics they aim to impart.
He said the tutor needed to be somebody who studied at "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Money No Object
The family informed the expert the successful candidate should preferably also have familiarity of or passion in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a wide range of interests.
Additionally though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son grow into a "English gentleman" will result in accomplishment and open doors.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he notes.
Yet, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "Britishness", could the child absorb what is termed cultural leaning from the international family he resides with in any case?
"Yes", said Adam. "The family know this could fail, 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.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the private teaching field who share those doubts.
An education leader, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who also offer personal educators, stated that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
He explained that he had emigrated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the period of seven, and had been brought up understanding and living dual heritages. He continued to learn at Cambridge University.
"The idea that one individual can function as a embodiment of English culture, an individual who can in some way impart the attributes of a English gentleman to a infant child, strikes me as optimistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"Based on my background, engaging a typically British tutor from infancy will does not instantly create the outcome they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and however I have been lucky enough to live several of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He added: "The truth is, personal identity can not be dictated from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, UK identity is something the expert hopes can be taught – and marketed.
"I think the fact that the world views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
