"A family based in North London is looking for an extraordinary and qualified instructor to support their most junior child on his initial journey to turning into an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might naturally skip the phrase "first-steps" as just figurative language.
However, it could be the most significant element of this distinctive position posting, as it attempts to hire a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of submissions have since been submitted since the unidentified family advertised their call for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the advert has received attention throughout the press, with numerous questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their quest, said that despite initial doubt, he considered the concept "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he said they understood the unconventional aspect of their request, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already become established".
What exactly does the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "comprehensive", he responded. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the older sibling had adopted "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family told Adam they hoped to prevent history to repeat itself with their infant.
The intention: To bring in a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the education at the outset here is kind of acquired indirectly," said Adam.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will adopt the UK customs they aim to cultivate.
The consultant said the tutor needed to be an individual who studied at "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told the expert the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a wide range of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he stated the family desired the tutor to register the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son become a "UK sophisticate" will result in achievement and open doors.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he notes.
Yet, notwithstanding all this instruction in "UK identity", might the child absorb what is termed cultural bias from the globally influenced family he is raised by in any case?
"Yes", replied Adam. "They realize this could fail, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the private teaching field who share similar reservations.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who provides personal educators, wrote that "the journey of embracing two identities, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
The expert explained that he had moved from China to the UK at the period of childhood, and had been raised experiencing and practicing dual heritages. He went on to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that an individual can serve as a living vessel of UK identity, an individual who can in some way transplant the qualities of a UK sophisticate upon a infant child, strikes me as optimistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"From my perspective, engaging a typically English tutor from babyhood will not necessarily produce the goal they want.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to experience several of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, self-identity cannot be dictated from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be educated – and marketed.
"I believe the reality that the international society holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
