"A household residing in North London is looking for an remarkable and qualified instructor to guide their most junior child on his early path to turning into an British gentleman."
When reading this listing, you might readily skip the term "first-steps" as just an expression.
But, it may be the most important aspect of this unusual position posting, as it seeks to recruit a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Many of submissions have since been sent in since the unidentified family advertised their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the advert has received attention throughout the media, with several questioning why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, chief executive of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their search, explained that in spite of initial skepticism, he viewed the plan "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he noted they recognized the unusual nature of their request, and how young their son is.
However, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already taken hold".
What exactly did the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", he replied. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He said the older sibling had absorbed "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family informed Adam they hoped to prevent this pattern to repeat itself with their younger child.
The plan: To hire a English tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the development at the outset here is kind of osmotic," said Adam.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will acquire the British traits they aim to instil.
Adam noted the tutor had to be somebody who studied at "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told him the successful candidate should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in equestrian activities, skiing, the arts and music so as to influence the child in a diverse set of interests.
Additionally though, he said the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son develop into a "British gentleman" will result in success and open doors.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he adds.
Yet, in spite of all this tutelage in "UK identity", might the child pick up alleged cultural leaning from the multicultural family he lives with regardless?
"Certainly", replied the CEO. "They realize this could fail, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'we should try and we should start as early as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the tutoring industry who share these reservations.
Another CEO, chief executive of Blue Education, who provides personal educators, commented that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
He wrote that he had relocated from the Far East to the UK at the time of childhood, and had been brought up experiencing and embodying two backgrounds. He continued to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that one individual can serve as a representation of UK identity, a person who can possibly transplant the attributes of a English gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, strikes me as naive and unrealistic," he wrote.
"Based on my background, having a quintessentially English tutor from infancy will not instantly create the result they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and however I have been fortunate enough to live several of the experiences they desire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, cultural identity cannot be imposed from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, English culture is something Adam hopes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I believe the reality that the global community holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
