"A household based in North London wants to find an remarkable and qualified educator to guide their youngest child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might naturally skip the phrase "first-steps" as just an expression.
But, it could be the most important part of this unusual position posting, as it seeks to recruit a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of responses have since been sent in since the unnamed family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the post has gained interest in the press, with several wondering why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their search, said that in spite of early skepticism, he considered the plan "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they understood the atypical nature of their request, and how immature their son is.
However, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already become established".
What precisely did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", he replied. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the firstborn had picked up "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family told the consultant they wished to avoid the same situation to recur with their infant.
The strategy: To hire a UK tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the learning at the outset here is rather absorbed naturally," said the CEO.
It's through this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will acquire the UK customs they aim to cultivate.
Adam noted the tutor must be someone who went to "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told Adam the successful candidate should preferably also have knowledge of or interest in equestrian activities, winter sports, artistic pursuits and music so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.
Additionally though, he stated the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son become a "English gentleman" will result in achievement and open doors.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he notes.
Yet, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "English culture", might the child pick up alleged cultural leaning from the international family he is raised by in any case?
"Yes", said Adam. "They know this could fail, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the education sector who express these reservations.
Another CEO, head and founder of Blue Education, who also offer personal educators, stated that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
The expert explained that he had emigrated from Asia to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been educated understanding and embodying dual heritages. He progressed to study at Cambridge University.
"The notion that an individual can function as a embodiment of Britishness, someone who can in some way impart the attributes of a English gentleman onto a infant child, appears optimistic and impractical," he wrote.
"From my perspective, employing a typically British tutor from early childhood will will not necessarily create the goal they desire.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and yet I have been privileged enough to enjoy numerous of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, cultural identity cannot be imposed from the outside; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, English culture is something the expert believes can be taught – and sold.
"I think the reality that the world regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
