"A family residing in the northern part of London wants to find an remarkable and experienced educator to assist their most junior child on his early path to turning into an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might naturally overlook the term "first-steps" as just a turn of phrase.
But, it may be the crucial aspect of this unique job advert, as it aims to hire a teacher for a one-year-old.
Many of submissions have since been received since the unnamed family posted their search for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the advert has gained attention across the media, with many wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their quest, said that notwithstanding first scepticism, he viewed the plan "visionary", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he said they recognized the unusual character of their requirement, and how young 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 elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already taken hold".
What precisely did the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", the expert answered. "How you eat, how you speak".
He stated the elder child had picked up "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family informed Adam they wished to avoid this pattern to repeat itself with their new baby.
The plan: To engage a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the development at the outset here is rather absorbed naturally," said the expert.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will acquire the UK customs they aim to cultivate.
The consultant said the tutor needed to be someone who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in horse riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
More than that though, he explained the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a range of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son develop into a "British gentleman" will result in accomplishment and provide access.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he notes.
But, in spite of all this guidance in "English culture", could the child adopt so-called cultural bias from the multicultural family he resides with in any case?
"Yes", replied Adam. "They realize this might not succeed, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the private teaching field who have similar doubts.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who provides individual instructors, wrote that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
He 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 dual heritages. He went on to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that one individual can act as a representation of English culture, someone who can possibly transplant the characteristics of a English gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, seems to me idealistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"Based on my background, having a typically UK tutor from babyhood will will not necessarily achieve the result they want.
"I did not have such a tutor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to enjoy many of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, self-identity should not be imposed from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, English culture is something the CEO believes can be taught – and sold.
"I believe the situation that the international society regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
