"A household residing in north London wants to find an remarkable and experienced educator to guide their smallest child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might easily miss the wording "first-steps" as just figurative language.
Yet, it could be the most important aspect of this distinctive employment listing, as it seeks to hire a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Many of submissions have since been received since the unnamed family posted their request for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has received attention throughout the press, with many asking why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their hunt, said that despite initial scepticism, he found the idea "visionary", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they recognized the atypical character of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already set in".
But what does the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", he responded. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the older sibling had absorbed "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family informed the consultant they hoped to prevent this pattern to happen again with their younger child.
The plan: To bring in a English tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the learning at the outset here is kind of acquired indirectly," said the expert.
It's through this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will pick up the UK customs they wish to impart.
Adam said the tutor had to be an individual who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Money No Object
The family explained to the expert the selected educator should preferably also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in horse riding, winter sports, the arts and music so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
More than that though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son become a "UK sophisticate" will result in success and provide access.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he adds.
But, notwithstanding all this guidance in "English culture", might the child absorb so-called cultural bias from the multicultural family he is raised by anyway?
"Absolutely", answered the CEO. "The family realize this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he explained.
Impractical
A number of in the education sector who have similar reservations.
Another CEO, head and founder of an educational organization, who provides private tutors, commented that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
The expert wrote that he had relocated from China to the UK at the time of 7 years old, and had been brought up knowing and embodying both cultures. He went on to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that one individual can function as a embodiment of English culture, someone who can in some way transplant the characteristics of a British gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, appears naive and unrealistic," he stated.
"From my perspective, engaging a typically British tutor from babyhood will not instantly create the result they want.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and however I have been lucky enough to enjoy several of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, cultural identity can not be imposed from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, English culture is something the expert hopes can be instructed – and sold.
"I think the situation that the international society regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
