"A household located in north London wants to find an exceptional and qualified tutor to support their most junior child on his initial journey to turning into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might naturally miss the wording "first-steps" as just a turn of phrase.
Yet, it may be the crucial element of this unusual job advert, as it aims to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of responses have already been received since the unnamed family published their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the advert has gained attention throughout the media, with many wondering why?
Innovative Idea
A tutoring expert, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their hunt, explained that in spite of initial skepticism, he considered the concept "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they understood the atypical aspect of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural influence had by then taken hold".
But what did the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", Adam responded. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the firstborn had absorbed "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family informed him they did not want history to happen again with their younger child.
The intention: To bring in a English tutor, who must speak with RP, to guide the baby from day one.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the education at the outset here is somewhat acquired indirectly," explained the expert.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will pick up the English characteristics they aim to impart.
Adam explained the tutor had to be somebody who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to him the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or interest in horse riding, alpine skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to influence the child in a diverse set of passions.
Furthermore though, he said the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's minds, assisting their son grow into a "British gentleman" will lead to success and create opportunities.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he notes.
But, notwithstanding all this guidance in "UK identity", could the child adopt alleged cultural leaning from the international family he lives with regardless?
"Certainly", replied Adam. "The parents know this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as soon as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he said.
Impractical
Several in the private teaching field who have similar doubts.
Peter Cui, head and founder of Blue Education, who supplies private tutors, stated that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
He explained that he had moved from the Far East to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised experiencing and practicing two backgrounds. He progressed to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that a single person can function as a representation of UK identity, a person who can in some way transplant the characteristics of a UK sophisticate upon a one-year-old child, seems to me optimistic and impractical," he commented.
"Based on my background, employing a typically UK tutor from babyhood will will not necessarily create the result they want.
"I did not have such a figure, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to experience several of the situations they aspire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, personal identity cannot be imposed from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, English culture is something the expert thinks can be educated – and marketed.
"In my view the fact that the international society holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
