"A household residing in the northern part of London is looking for an extraordinary and skilled instructor to assist their youngest child on his initial journey to becoming an English gentleman."
When reading this post, you might readily skip the phrase "first-steps" as just a turn of phrase.
But, it may be the most significant part of this unusual position posting, as it seeks to find a tutor for a one-year-old.
Numerous of applications have already been submitted since the unidentified family posted their request for the highly paid tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the advert has received interest throughout the media, with several wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their search, stated that notwithstanding early scepticism, he viewed the idea "visionary", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he said they recognized the unconventional nature of their request, and how immature their son is.
But, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had by then taken hold".
But what did the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert answered. "How you eat, how you speak".
He stated the firstborn had adopted "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family explained to the consultant they did not want this pattern to happen again with their infant.
The strategy: To hire a British tutor, who must speak with RP, to influence the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the learning at the start here is kind of acquired indirectly," explained Adam.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will pick up the UK customs they want to instil.
The consultant explained the tutor had to be someone who studied at "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor must be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and music so as to influence the child in a wide range of hobbies.
Additionally though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son grow into a "British gentleman" will bring about achievement and open doors.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he comments.
But, despite all this tutelage in "Britishness", would the child adopt alleged cultural influence from the globally influenced family he resides with anyway?
"Yes", replied he. "The parents know this may not work, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as early as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he explained.
Impractical
Several in the tutoring industry who express those concerns.
Peter Cui, head and founder of Blue Education, who provides personal educators, stated that "the journey of embracing two identities, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
He explained that he had emigrated from China to the Britain at the time of 7 years old, and had been raised understanding and embodying dual heritages. He went on to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that a single person can function as a living vessel of English culture, someone who can possibly transplant the attributes of a UK sophisticate to a infant child, seems to me naive and unrealistic," he commented.
"From my perspective, having a distinctly UK tutor from infancy will not instantly achieve the outcome they want.
"I did not have such a tutor, and yet I have been privileged enough to experience numerous of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, personal identity should not be forced from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, English culture is something Adam hopes can be instructed – and marketed.
"I think the reality that the international society holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
