"A family located in North London is looking for an exceptional and experienced tutor to assist their smallest child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might naturally skip the phrase "first-steps" as just an expression.
Yet, it may be the crucial element of this unique employment listing, as it attempts to find a mentor for a one-year-old.
Many of responses have now been submitted since the anonymous family posted their call for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the advert has received attention across the news, with several questioning why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their search, said that in spite of early skepticism, he found the concept "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he noted they understood the atypical character of their demand, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural bias had by then become established".
What precisely does the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam replied. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the elder child had adopted "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family explained to the consultant they did not want the same situation to recur with their younger child.
The intention: To bring in a UK tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the learning at the outset here is kind of absorbed naturally," explained the CEO.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will acquire the English characteristics they wish to impart.
The consultant noted the tutor had to be somebody who went to "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in horse riding, skiing, creative fields and music so as to influence the child in a wide range of interests.
Furthermore though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a range of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son become a "British gentleman" will result in achievement and open doors.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he adds.
However, despite all this guidance in "English culture", could the child pick up alleged cultural leaning from the international family he is raised by anyway?
"Yes", said Adam. "They realize this may not work, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as quickly as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the tutoring industry who share these doubts.
An education leader, head and founder of an educational organization, who also offer personal educators, wrote that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
Peter explained that he had moved from Asia to the Britain at the period of childhood, and had been raised knowing and living two backgrounds. He progressed to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that an individual can act as a embodiment of English culture, someone who can somehow transfer the qualities of a English gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, strikes me as optimistic and impractical," he commented.
"Based on my background, having a typically British tutor from early childhood will will not necessarily create the result they want.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to experience many of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, cultural identity should not be dictated from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, English culture is something the CEO thinks can be taught – and marketed.
"I believe the fact that the international society regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
