"A family residing in north London seeks an extraordinary and experienced tutor to guide their most junior child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might naturally miss the wording "first-steps" as simple an expression.
However, it could be the most significant aspect of this distinctive employment listing, as it seeks to find a tutor for a one-year-old.
Many of applications have now been submitted since the unnamed family advertised their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the post has received notice in the media, with several questioning why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their hunt, stated that despite early scepticism, he viewed the concept "visionary", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he noted they recognized the atypical character of their demand, and how young their son is.
However, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had by then taken hold".
What exactly does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam replied. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the elder child had absorbed "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family told him they hoped to prevent this pattern to repeat itself with their new baby.
The strategy: To bring in a British tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the development at the outset here is rather osmotic," explained Adam.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will acquire the UK customs they wish to cultivate.
Adam noted the tutor must be someone who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to him the successful candidate should preferably also have understanding of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, creative fields and music so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son become a "English gentleman" will bring about achievement and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he comments.
Yet, despite all this instruction in "Britishness", could the child absorb what is termed cultural bias from the globally influenced family he lives with in any case?
"Certainly", said he. "The family realize this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the tutoring industry who have these concerns.
Peter Cui, chief executive of an educational organization, who also offer private tutors, wrote that "the process of becoming bicultural, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
Peter explained that he had relocated from China to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been educated knowing and embodying two backgrounds. He progressed to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that one individual can act as a living vessel of UK identity, someone who can in some way impart the attributes of a British gentleman onto a infant child, seems to me optimistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"Based on my background, employing a typically British tutor from infancy will not instantly produce the result they want.
"I did not have such a tutor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to experience many of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He stated: "The truth is, cultural identity cannot be forced from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, English culture is something Adam hopes can be educated – and commercialized.
"I believe the situation that the international society views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
