"A household residing in north London is looking for an remarkable and qualified instructor to guide their most junior child on his early path to turning into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might easily miss the phrase "first-steps" as mere figurative language.
Yet, it may be the most important part of this distinctive position posting, as it seeks to hire a teacher for a one-year-old.
Numerous of responses have already been sent in since the unidentified family posted their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the listing has gained interest in the press, with several wondering why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their search, explained that in spite of initial scepticism, he viewed the idea "visionary", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unconventional nature of their request, and how immature their son is.
But, they stated 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 point "cultural influence had already taken hold".
What exactly does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam answered. "How you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the elder child had absorbed "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family told the consultant they wished to avoid this pattern to recur with their infant.
The strategy: To bring in a English tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the education at the start here is rather osmotic," explained the CEO.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will acquire the UK customs they want to impart.
The consultant said the tutor had to be someone who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told Adam the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, skiing, the arts and music so as to shape the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Additionally though, he stated the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of classes 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 become a "British gentleman" will bring about achievement and provide access.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he comments.
But, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "UK identity", would the child pick up so-called cultural influence from the globally influenced family he resides with anyway?
"Certainly", said the CEO. "The family understand this may not work, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'we should try and we should start as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the tutoring industry who have these concerns.
An education leader, head and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer private tutors, stated that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
Peter noted that he had emigrated from Asia to the UK at the period of childhood, and had been educated knowing and living two backgrounds. He went on to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that one individual can function as a embodiment of UK identity, someone who can possibly impart the qualities of a English gentleman to a one-year-old child, strikes me as naive and unrealistic," he commented.
"In my experience, engaging a typically UK tutor from infancy will not necessarily achieve the result they hope for.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to experience several of the situations they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, self-identity cannot be forced from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, English culture is something the expert thinks can be educated – and sold.
"I think the fact that the world views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
