"A family based in the northern part of London is looking for an exceptional and experienced educator to assist their smallest child on his initial journey to turning into an English gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might readily miss the phrase "first-steps" as just an expression.
But, it might be the crucial part of this unusual job advert, as it aims to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of responses have since been received since the anonymous family published their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
In recent few weeks, the listing has attracted attention across the press, with numerous wondering why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their search, explained that in spite of early doubt, he found the concept "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he said they understood the unconventional aspect of their demand, and how immature their son is.
But, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had already become established".
What precisely does the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam responded. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the elder child had absorbed "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family explained to the consultant they did not want this pattern to repeat itself with their infant.
The intention: To hire a English tutor, who must speak with RP, to guide the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the education at the outset here is kind of absorbed naturally," said the CEO.
It's via this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will adopt the English characteristics they aim to instil.
Adam said the tutor had to be an individual who attended "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Money No Object
The family explained to Adam the successful candidate should preferably also have understanding of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to inspire the child in a wide range of hobbies.
Furthermore though, he said the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will result in success and provide access.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he adds.
But, notwithstanding all this guidance in "English culture", could the child pick up so-called cultural influence from the international family he lives with anyway?
"Certainly", answered the CEO. "They know this could fail, but they've just taken 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 relevant," he said.
Impractical
Several in the private teaching field who share similar reservations.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer personal educators, stated that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
Peter explained that he had emigrated from China to the United Kingdom at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised understanding and living both cultures. He continued to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that an individual can serve as a representation of English culture, someone who can in some way transplant the attributes of a British gentleman to a infant child, seems to me naive and unfeasible," he wrote.
"In my experience, employing a typically British tutor from early childhood will does not instantly achieve the result they desire.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to experience numerous of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, cultural identity cannot be imposed from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, Britishness is something Adam believes can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I believe the reality that the world holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
