"A family based in North London wants to find an remarkable and skilled instructor to support their youngest child on his early path to becoming an English gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might naturally overlook the phrase "first-steps" as simple figurative language.
But, it may be the crucial part of this distinctive job advert, as it attempts to hire a teacher for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of applications have now been sent in since the unidentified family posted their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the listing has received attention throughout the news, with numerous asking why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their quest, explained that notwithstanding early doubt, he found the plan "visionary", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he said they appreciated the unconventional aspect of their request, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had by then set in".
But what does the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", the expert replied. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He explained the elder child had picked up "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family informed Adam they hoped to prevent the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To engage a UK tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the education at the outset here is kind of absorbed naturally," explained the expert.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will adopt the British traits they wish to instil.
Adam said the tutor needed to be someone who went to "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family informed the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Furthermore though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, assisting their son grow into a "British gentleman" will bring about achievement and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he adds.
Yet, notwithstanding all this instruction in "Britishness", could the child pick up so-called cultural bias from the multicultural family he is raised by regardless?
"Certainly", replied Adam. "The family realize this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'we should try and we'll proceed 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 share those reservations.
Peter Cui, head and founder of an educational organization, who also offer private tutors, commented that "the process of becoming bicultural, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."
Peter noted that he had moved from Asia to the United Kingdom at the age of childhood, and had been educated understanding and practicing both cultures. He went on to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that a single person can function as a representation of Britishness, an individual who can in some way transplant the qualities of a English gentleman upon a infant child, appears optimistic and impractical," he stated.
"In my experience, having a quintessentially English tutor from infancy will not automatically achieve the outcome they hope for.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and however I have been privileged enough to enjoy numerous of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, personal identity can not be imposed from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, English culture is something the expert hopes can be educated – and sold.
"I believe the fact that the international society views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
