"Parents residing in north London wants to find an remarkable and skilled instructor to support their smallest child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might easily overlook the term "first-steps" as mere figurative language.
However, it might be the most important part of this distinctive employment listing, as it aims to find a mentor for a one-year-old.
Many of responses have already been received since the unidentified family posted their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted notice across the media, with many asking why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their hunt, stated that despite early scepticism, he found the plan "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they recognized the atypical aspect of their request, and how young their son is.
However, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already become established".
What exactly does the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", he responded. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the older sibling had adopted "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family explained to the consultant they did not want the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To engage a UK tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to influence the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the development at the beginning here is somewhat absorbed naturally," stated the CEO.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will adopt the English characteristics they want to instil.
Adam explained the tutor must be an individual who attended "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in horse riding, skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
More than that though, he said the family desired the tutor to register the child on a variety of courses 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 perspective, guiding their son become a "English gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and open doors.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he adds.
However, notwithstanding all this instruction in "UK identity", would the child adopt what is termed cultural influence from the multicultural family he resides with anyway?
"Certainly", said Adam. "The parents know this could fail, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'we should try and let's go as soon as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he explained.
Impractical
There are some in the education sector who have similar concerns.
An education leader, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer private tutors, commented that "the development of becoming bicultural, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
Peter noted that he had emigrated from Asia to the UK at the time of childhood, and had been educated knowing and embodying both cultures. He progressed to study at Cambridge University.
"The idea that a single person can serve as a representation of UK identity, someone who can somehow transfer the qualities of a British gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, appears naive and unrealistic," he stated.
"Based on my background, employing a quintessentially English tutor from babyhood will will not instantly achieve the outcome they hope for.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to experience numerous of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He added: "The fact is, cultural identity cannot be forced from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, UK identity is something the CEO thinks can be instructed – and marketed.
"I think the reality that the world holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
