"A family located in North London is looking for an exceptional and experienced tutor to guide their smallest child on his initial journey to turning into an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might naturally miss the term "first-steps" as mere an expression.
But, it may be the most important aspect of this unusual position posting, as it attempts to recruit a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of responses have now been submitted since the unidentified family posted their request for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the post has attracted notice in the press, with several questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their search, stated that in spite of early skepticism, he viewed the idea "visionary", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he noted they recognized the atypical character of their demand, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already set in".
But what did the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert answered. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the elder child had picked up "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family informed the consultant they wished to avoid history to happen again with their infant.
The intention: To engage a UK tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the development at the outset here is rather absorbed naturally," explained Adam.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will pick up the English characteristics they want to instil.
Adam explained the tutor needed to be an individual who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to Adam the selected educator should preferably also have familiarity of or interest in horse riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and music so as to shape the child in a wide range of passions.
More than that though, he explained the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, assisting their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will lead to success and open doors.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he comments.
However, notwithstanding all this instruction in "UK identity", might the child absorb so-called cultural leaning from the multicultural family he is raised by in any case?
"Certainly", answered he. "They realize this could fail, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the education sector who have these reservations.
Another CEO, head and founder of Blue Education, who supplies individual instructors, stated that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
He noted that he had moved from China to the UK at the period of 7 years old, and had been brought up knowing and embodying dual heritages. He went on to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that a single person can serve as a living vessel of Britishness, someone who can in some way transplant the characteristics of a English gentleman upon a one-year-old child, strikes me as naive and impractical," he wrote.
"From my perspective, having a distinctly British tutor from babyhood will does not necessarily achieve the result they want.
"I never had such a tutor, and however I have been lucky enough to experience several of the experiences they desire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, personal identity can not be forced from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be instructed – and marketed.
"I believe the reality that the international society views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
