"Parents based in North London is looking for an extraordinary and skilled tutor to support their most junior child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might easily skip the phrase "first-steps" as simple figurative language.
However, it may be the most important part of this unusual position posting, as it seeks to recruit a mentor for a one-year-old.
Many of responses have already been submitted since the anonymous family posted their call for the highly paid tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has gained attention throughout the news, with many wondering why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their hunt, stated that notwithstanding first doubt, he viewed the concept "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he noted they understood the unusual character of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already become established".
What precisely did the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert responded. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the elder child had picked up "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family informed him they did not want this pattern to repeat itself with their infant.
The intention: To bring in a UK tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the development at the beginning here is somewhat absorbed naturally," stated Adam.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will pick up the British traits they aim to impart.
The consultant said the tutor needed to be someone who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told the expert the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or interest in riding, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a wide range of hobbies.
Additionally though, he said the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a range of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son become a "English gentleman" will bring about success and provide access.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he notes.
However, in spite of all this guidance in "UK identity", would the child adopt alleged cultural leaning from the multicultural family he lives with regardless?
"Yes", answered he. "They understand this may not work, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as early as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the private teaching field who have these doubts.
Another CEO, chief executive of a tutoring service, who supplies private tutors, wrote that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
He explained that he had relocated from China to the United Kingdom at the period of childhood, and had been raised understanding and embodying both cultures. He continued to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that one individual can act as a embodiment of English culture, a person who can in some way transfer the attributes of a UK sophisticate to a infant child, appears naive and unrealistic," he stated.
"From my perspective, having a typically British tutor from babyhood will not instantly achieve the outcome they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and however I have been privileged enough to enjoy numerous of the situations they desire for their son."
He added: "The fact is, cultural identity should not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, English culture is something the expert thinks can be instructed – and commercialized.
"I believe the reality that the global community holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
