"A household based in North London seeks an extraordinary and qualified instructor to support their most junior child on his initial journey to turning into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might naturally overlook the term "first-steps" as mere figurative language.
However, it could be the crucial aspect of this unique employment listing, as it aims to find a teacher for a one-year-old.
Numerous of applications have since been submitted since the anonymous family advertised their call for the highly paid tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the post has attracted notice in the press, with several asking why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their quest, stated that despite initial skepticism, he found the plan "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he said they appreciated the unconventional character of their request, and how immature their son is.
But, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert responded. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the older sibling had adopted "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family told him they did not want the same situation to repeat itself with their new baby.
The plan: To hire a English tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the education at the start here is kind of osmotic," stated the expert.
It's through this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will pick up the British traits they wish to cultivate.
The consultant explained the tutor had to be an individual who went to "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds 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, effortlessly," he said.
Money No Object
The family explained to the expert the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in horse riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and music so as to influence the child in a diverse set of interests.
Additionally though, he explained the family desired the tutor to register the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son become a "UK sophisticate" will result in achievement and provide access.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he notes.
However, in spite of all this tutelage in "UK identity", could the child absorb alleged cultural bias from the international family he is raised by anyway?
"Absolutely", replied Adam. "The family realize this may not work, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'we should try and let's go as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he stated.
Impractical
Several in the education sector who share similar reservations.
Peter Cui, head and founder of Blue Education, who also offer individual instructors, commented that "the process of becoming bicultural, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
The expert explained that he had moved from Asia to the Britain at the time of childhood, and had been educated understanding and practicing dual heritages. He progressed to learn at Cambridge University.
"The concept that an individual can function as a representation of English culture, someone who can in some way transplant the attributes of a UK sophisticate onto a 12-month-old child, seems to me naive and unrealistic," he stated.
"Based on my background, engaging a typically British tutor from infancy will will not instantly achieve the result they hope for.
"I never had such a figure, and yet I have been privileged enough to enjoy many of the situations they hope for their son."
He added: "The reality is, personal identity cannot be forced from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Of course, English culture is something Adam believes can be instructed – and marketed.
"I think the situation that the international society holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
