"A household located in North London wants to find an exceptional and qualified instructor to support their youngest child on his early path to growing into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might readily overlook the wording "first-steps" as simple a turn of phrase.
But, it may be the most important part of this unusual position posting, as it attempts to find a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Many of submissions have now been submitted since the unidentified family published their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
In recent few weeks, the advert has gained attention across the press, with several wondering why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their search, stated that notwithstanding first skepticism, he considered the plan "visionary", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he noted they understood the unusual nature of their request, and how young their son is.
But, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural bias had already set in".
What exactly does the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", Adam replied. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the elder child had absorbed "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family explained to Adam they did not want this pattern to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To engage a British tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the development at the outset here is somewhat absorbed naturally," said Adam.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will adopt the UK customs they aim to impart.
The consultant noted the tutor needed to be somebody who attended "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told the expert the chosen tutor should preferably also have understanding of or passion in equestrian activities, skiing, the arts and music so as to shape the child in a wide range of passions.
Furthermore though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will bring about achievement and provide access.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he notes.
However, in spite of all this tutelage in "Britishness", could the child pick up alleged cultural influence from the international family he resides with anyway?
"Certainly", said Adam. "The family realize this may not work, but they've just taken the view of, 'we should try and we should start as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he explained.
Impractical
A number of in the tutoring industry who express similar concerns.
Peter Cui, head and founder of an educational organization, who also offer private tutors, stated that "the process of becoming bicultural, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
The expert explained that he had relocated from Asia to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised knowing and embodying two backgrounds. He went on to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that a single person can act as a embodiment of English culture, a person who can in some way transfer the qualities of a UK sophisticate to a 12-month-old child, strikes me as naive and unrealistic," he stated.
"From my perspective, having a distinctly UK tutor from early childhood will will not automatically create the result they desire.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to experience numerous of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, cultural identity can not be imposed from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, Britishness is something the expert believes can be taught – and sold.
"I think the fact that the international society views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
