"A family residing in North London is looking for an exceptional and skilled tutor to guide their smallest child on his early path to turning into an British gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might naturally overlook the wording "first-steps" as just figurative language.
But, it could be the crucial element of this distinctive position posting, as it attempts to recruit a tutor for a one-year-old.
Many of submissions have already been received since the unidentified family posted their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
In recent few weeks, the advert has gained notice across the media, with many asking why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their quest, stated that notwithstanding initial skepticism, he found the concept "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he said they understood the atypical character of their requirement, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already set in".
What precisely does the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam responded. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the older sibling had picked up "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family explained to the consultant they hoped to prevent the same situation to happen again with their younger child.
The strategy: To bring in a English tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the education at the outset here is kind of acquired indirectly," stated the CEO.
It's via this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will acquire the English characteristics they want to cultivate.
Adam explained the tutor must be someone who went to "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Money No Object
The family explained to the expert the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, creative fields and music so as to shape the child in a diverse set of interests.
More than that though, he said the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will lead to success and create opportunities.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he adds.
Yet, notwithstanding all this guidance in "UK identity", could the child pick up so-called cultural influence from the globally influenced family he is raised by anyway?
"Certainly", replied he. "They realize this could fail, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'we should try and let's go as soon as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the private teaching field who have these concerns.
An education leader, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who supplies private tutors, commented that "the journey of embracing two identities, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
The expert explained that he had relocated from China to the Britain at the period of childhood, and had been educated understanding and practicing both cultures. He went on to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that a single person can function as a embodiment of Britishness, an individual who can in some way impart the attributes of a British gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, appears optimistic and unrealistic," he stated.
"From my perspective, having a typically English tutor from early childhood will will not necessarily create the outcome they want.
"I did not have such a figure, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to enjoy numerous of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He added: "The reality is, cultural identity should not be forced from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, English culture is something Adam thinks can be educated – and marketed.
"I believe the reality that the world views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
