"A family based in North London is looking for an remarkable and experienced instructor to assist their most junior child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might naturally overlook the wording "first-steps" as simple a turn of phrase.
Yet, it might be the most significant aspect of this unusual job advert, as it aims to hire a teacher for a one-year-old.
Many of applications have already been sent in since the unnamed family advertised their request for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the listing has gained attention across the press, with numerous asking why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their quest, said that notwithstanding early doubt, he found the idea "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they understood the unconventional aspect of their demand, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had by then set in".
What precisely did the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", he responded. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the firstborn had absorbed "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family explained to the consultant they wished to avoid the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To bring in a British tutor, who should speak with RP, to guide the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the development at the outset here is somewhat absorbed naturally," said Adam.
It's via this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will adopt the British traits they aim to instil.
Adam said the tutor had to be someone who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator must be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Money No Object
The family told him the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, creative fields and music so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
More than that though, he stated the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a range of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son grow into a "English gentleman" will lead to success and create opportunities.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he notes.
Yet, notwithstanding all this guidance in "English culture", might the child pick up so-called cultural influence from the globally influenced family he lives with in any case?
"Certainly", answered Adam. "The parents know this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as quickly as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he said.
Impractical
A number of in the private teaching field who share those concerns.
Peter Cui, chief executive of an educational organization, who supplies individual instructors, commented that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
He noted that he had emigrated from China to the United Kingdom at the time of childhood, and had been raised experiencing and embodying two backgrounds. He progressed to study at Cambridge University.
"The idea that one individual can serve as a representation of English culture, a person who can in some way transplant the characteristics of a English gentleman to a 12-month-old child, seems to me naive and unfeasible," he commented.
"In my experience, engaging a typically British tutor from infancy will not automatically create the result they desire.
"I never had such a figure, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to experience several of the experiences they hope for their son."
He added: "The truth is, personal identity should not be forced from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, Britishness is something Adam hopes can be instructed – and marketed.
"I think the situation that the global community regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
