"A household located in north London seeks an extraordinary and qualified instructor to guide their smallest child on his initial journey to growing into an English gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might naturally miss the term "first-steps" as just an expression.
However, it could be the most important aspect of this unique job advert, as it aims to hire a teacher for a one-year-old.
Numerous of applications have since been submitted since the unidentified family published their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has gained attention across the press, with many questioning why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their quest, explained that in spite of early scepticism, he found the idea "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he said they appreciated the atypical nature of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
However, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural influence had by then taken hold".
But what does the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", the expert replied. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the firstborn had adopted "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family explained to Adam they did not want the same situation to recur with their younger child.
The intention: To bring in a UK tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the learning at the start here is kind of osmotic," explained the CEO.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will pick up the English characteristics they wish to impart.
Adam said the tutor needed to be someone who went to "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories 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 aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in equestrian activities, skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a wide range of passions.
Furthermore though, he explained the family desired the tutor to register the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son grow into a "British gentleman" will bring about achievement and provide access.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he comments.
But, despite all this instruction in "Britishness", could the child adopt what is termed cultural leaning from the multicultural family he is raised by regardless?
"Absolutely", answered Adam. "They realize this could fail, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Impractical
A number of in the tutoring industry who share those reservations.
Peter Cui, head and founder of Blue Education, who supplies individual instructors, commented that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
Peter wrote that he had relocated from China to the UK at the age of childhood, and had been raised understanding and practicing two backgrounds. He continued to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that one individual can act as a representation of English culture, a person who can in some way transplant the attributes of a British gentleman upon a infant child, seems to me naive and impractical," he wrote.
"Based on my background, engaging a quintessentially UK tutor from early childhood will will not necessarily create the outcome they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to experience many of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He added: "The fact is, personal identity cannot be forced from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, Britishness is something the CEO thinks can be taught – and sold.
"I believe the fact that the world views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
