"A family located in North London seeks an extraordinary and experienced instructor to guide their smallest child on his early path to turning into an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might easily skip the wording "first-steps" as mere a turn of phrase.
But, it could be the crucial aspect of this unusual position posting, as it seeks to recruit a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of applications have since been submitted since the anonymous family advertised their search for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the post has received attention throughout the news, with numerous asking why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their search, stated that despite early skepticism, he found the plan "visionary", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he noted they recognized the atypical aspect of their request, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural influence had by then taken hold".
But what did the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", he replied. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He said the older sibling had picked up "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family explained to him they hoped to prevent this pattern to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To engage a British tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to guide the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the learning at the outset here is somewhat osmotic," said Adam.
It's through this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will acquire the English characteristics they aim to cultivate.
Adam noted the tutor needed to be somebody who studied at "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Money No Object
The family explained to Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or passion in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to shape the child in a diverse set of interests.
More than that though, he explained the family desired the tutor to register the child on a range of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son become a "British gentleman" will result in success and create opportunities.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he comments.
But, notwithstanding all this instruction in "English culture", might the child absorb what is termed cultural leaning from the international family he resides with anyway?
"Yes", replied he. "The family understand this may not work, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Impractical
There are some in the tutoring industry who express similar reservations.
An education leader, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who supplies personal educators, wrote that "the journey of embracing two identities, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
Peter noted that he had emigrated from the Far East to the Britain at the time of childhood, and had been brought up knowing and living both cultures. He continued to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that one individual can act as a representation of Britishness, someone who can in some way transfer the characteristics of a English gentleman to a 12-month-old child, seems to me idealistic and unrealistic," he stated.
"In my experience, engaging a distinctly UK tutor from babyhood will not necessarily create the outcome they want.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to experience several of the experiences they hope for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, self-identity cannot be forced from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, UK identity is something the CEO thinks can be educated – and marketed.
"I think the situation that the world views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
