"A family residing in north London seeks an exceptional and experienced educator to support their smallest child on his early path to turning into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might naturally skip the term "first-steps" as mere a turn of phrase.
But, it might be the crucial aspect of this distinctive job advert, as it seeks to find a tutor for a infant.
Many of submissions have already been received since the anonymous family advertised their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
In recent few weeks, the listing has gained attention throughout the media, with many questioning why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their search, stated that notwithstanding first doubt, he viewed the plan "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he said they understood the atypical aspect of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
But, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already set in".
But what did the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", Adam answered. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the elder child had absorbed "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family explained to him they wished to avoid this pattern to recur with their new baby.
The strategy: To engage a British tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the education at the beginning here is rather osmotic," explained the CEO.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will pick up the British traits they want to cultivate.
Adam noted the tutor must be somebody who went to "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to him the selected educator should preferably also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to influence the child in a diverse set of passions.
Furthermore though, he stated the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son become a "English gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he adds.
Yet, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "UK identity", could the child absorb so-called cultural leaning from the multicultural family he lives with anyway?
"Certainly", said Adam. "They realize this might not succeed, but they've just taken the view of, 'we should try and we should start as soon as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Impractical
Several in the education sector who have similar doubts.
An education leader, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who provides private tutors, stated that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
Peter wrote that he had emigrated from China to the Britain at the time of childhood, and had been educated understanding and embodying dual heritages. He went on to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that one individual can serve as a representation of UK identity, someone who can possibly transplant the characteristics of a British gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, seems to me naive and unfeasible," he commented.
"Based on my background, employing a distinctly British tutor from babyhood will not necessarily achieve the goal they hope for.
"I did not have such a figure, and however I have been fortunate enough to experience several of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The reality is, personal identity can not be forced from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, Britishness is something the expert believes can be educated – and commercialized.
"I believe the fact that the world views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
