"A household residing in North London wants to find an exceptional and skilled instructor to support their smallest child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might easily skip the phrase "first-steps" as simple an expression.
Yet, it may be the crucial aspect of this distinctive job advert, as it aims to find a mentor for a infant.
Hundreds of submissions have since been sent in since the unnamed family published their call for the highly paid tutor, who must be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has gained notice throughout the press, with numerous asking why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their hunt, stated that notwithstanding initial scepticism, he viewed the concept "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he said they recognized the unusual character of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
However, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural bias had already taken hold".
But what did the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert responded. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the firstborn had absorbed "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family explained to the consultant they wished to avoid this pattern to recur with their younger child.
The plan: To bring in a UK tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the education at the start here is somewhat absorbed naturally," said Adam.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will adopt the UK customs they wish to cultivate.
Adam explained the tutor had to be somebody who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – 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 performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to Adam the selected educator should preferably also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in riding, winter sports, the arts and music so as to shape the child in a diverse set of passions.
More than that though, he explained the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of classes 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, helping their son grow into a "English gentleman" will result in accomplishment and create opportunities.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he notes.
But, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "English culture", might the child adopt what is termed cultural bias from the multicultural family he lives with regardless?
"Yes", replied the CEO. "They understand this may not work, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'we should try and let's go as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the private teaching field who have similar concerns.
An education leader, head and founder of Blue Education, who supplies personal educators, stated that "the process of embracing two identities, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
Peter wrote that he had emigrated from the Far East to the UK at the age of childhood, and had been raised understanding and embodying two backgrounds. He continued to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that an individual can act as a embodiment of UK identity, a person who can possibly impart the qualities of a British gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, appears optimistic and impractical," he wrote.
"Based on my background, engaging a distinctly UK tutor from babyhood will will not necessarily produce the goal they want.
"I did not have such a figure, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to live several of the experiences they desire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, self-identity can not be dictated from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, English culture is something Adam believes can be instructed – and sold.
"I think the reality that the global community views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating