"A household residing in the northern part of London is looking for an exceptional and experienced instructor to support their youngest child on his early path to becoming an English gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might readily skip the wording "first-steps" as just an expression.
However, it may be the crucial element of this unusual position posting, as it seeks to hire a tutor for a one-year-old.
Many of applications have now been received since the anonymous family published their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the advert has gained interest in the media, with numerous questioning why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, chief executive of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their search, explained that despite early scepticism, he considered the plan "visionary", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they understood the unconventional character of their requirement, and how young their son is.
But, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already set in".
What exactly does the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert responded. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the elder child had picked up "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family explained to him they did not want the same situation to recur with their new baby.
The plan: To bring in a UK tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the development at the outset here is rather osmotic," explained Adam.
It's through this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will pick up the British traits they aim to instil.
He noted the tutor must be somebody who studied at "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in horse riding, alpine skiing, the arts and music so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Additionally though, he said the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will bring about success and open doors.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he comments.
However, despite all this tutelage in "Britishness", could the child adopt what is termed cultural bias from the globally influenced family he lives with in any case?
"Certainly", replied he. "They understand this might not succeed, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as soon as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the education sector who express similar doubts.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who provides individual instructors, wrote that "the development of becoming bicultural, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
The expert explained that he had emigrated from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the time of 7 years old, and had been raised understanding and embodying both cultures. He went on to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that a single person can serve as a representation of Britishness, a person who can somehow transplant the characteristics of a British gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, seems to me idealistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"In my experience, employing a distinctly English tutor from early childhood will not automatically create the goal they desire.
"I never had such a tutor, and however I have been privileged enough to live many of the experiences they desire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, personal identity cannot be dictated from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the CEO thinks can be instructed – and marketed.
"In my view the situation that the global community holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
