"Parents located in the northern part of London is looking for an extraordinary and skilled educator to guide their smallest child on his early path to becoming an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might readily overlook the phrase "first-steps" as just an expression.
Yet, it may be the crucial part of this distinctive job advert, as it aims to find a mentor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of submissions have since been sent in since the anonymous family published their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the listing has attracted notice in the press, with many wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their search, stated that despite initial scepticism, he found the plan "visionary", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they understood the unconventional nature of their demand, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural bias had by then set in".
What precisely did the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", Adam answered. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He said the elder child had adopted "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family told Adam they hoped to prevent history to happen again with their new baby.
The strategy: To hire a UK tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the development at the outset here is kind of absorbed naturally," said Adam.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will acquire the UK customs they wish to instil.
He said the tutor needed to be someone who went to "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to him the chosen tutor should preferably also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in horse riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he stated the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will result in achievement and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he comments.
Yet, in spite of all this instruction in "Britishness", might the child absorb what is termed cultural bias from the multicultural family he resides with regardless?
"Absolutely", said Adam. "They realize this may not work, but they've just taken the view of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the education sector who have these doubts.
An education leader, chief executive of Blue Education, who provides private tutors, stated that "the journey of embracing two identities, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
The expert wrote that he had relocated from Asia to the UK at the period of seven, and had been educated knowing and living two backgrounds. He continued to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that an individual can act as a representation of English culture, a person who can somehow impart the attributes of a UK sophisticate upon a 12-month-old child, strikes me as optimistic and unrealistic," he stated.
"Based on my background, engaging a distinctly UK tutor from infancy will not automatically produce the result they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and however I have been fortunate enough to enjoy several of the experiences they desire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, cultural identity cannot be forced from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, English culture is something the expert hopes can be taught – and sold.
"In my view the fact that the international society regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
