"Parents located in the northern part of London wants to find an exceptional and skilled tutor to assist their youngest child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might readily miss the wording "first-steps" as mere figurative language.
But, it could be the crucial element of this unique employment listing, as it aims to recruit a teacher for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of responses have since been submitted since the anonymous family posted their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has gained interest in the press, with numerous questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their hunt, explained that in spite of initial skepticism, he considered the concept "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he said they appreciated the unconventional aspect of their request, 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 waited until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had by then taken hold".
But what does the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", he responded. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the elder child had adopted "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family informed him they did not want history to repeat itself with their new baby.
The intention: To hire a English tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the education at the outset here is somewhat absorbed naturally," stated the expert.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will pick up the UK customs they want to cultivate.
The consultant said the tutor needed to be somebody who attended "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire 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, simply by nature," he said.
Money No Object
The family explained to him the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in riding, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Additionally though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son become a "British gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and open doors.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he adds.
However, in spite of all this tutelage in "English culture", might the child adopt so-called cultural leaning from the international family he resides with regardless?
"Absolutely", answered Adam. "They know this may not work, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the private teaching field who have similar doubts.
Peter Cui, chief executive of a tutoring service, who supplies individual instructors, wrote that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
He noted that he had moved from Asia to the UK at the time of seven, and had been raised experiencing and embodying dual heritages. He progressed to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that a single person can act as a embodiment of English culture, a person who can possibly transfer the characteristics of a British gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, seems to me naive and impractical," he commented.
"In my experience, employing a distinctly British tutor from babyhood will does not automatically achieve the goal they hope for.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to enjoy numerous of the situations they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The reality is, cultural identity can not be imposed from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, Britishness is something Adam believes can be taught – and marketed.
"I believe the reality that the world regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
