"A family based in the northern part of London wants to find an extraordinary and skilled instructor to guide their smallest child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might readily skip the wording "first-steps" as just a turn of phrase.
However, it could be the most significant element of this distinctive job advert, as it attempts to find a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of applications have already been sent in since the unnamed family advertised their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the advert has attracted attention across the media, with many wondering why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their hunt, explained that in spite of early doubt, he considered the idea "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they recognized the unusual aspect of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
But, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had by then set in".
What precisely does the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam responded. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He explained the firstborn had picked up "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family informed Adam they hoped to prevent this pattern to recur with their new baby.
The intention: To engage a British tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the learning at the outset here is rather acquired indirectly," stated Adam.
It's by means of this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will acquire the British traits they aim to instil.
The consultant explained the tutor must be somebody who attended "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed Adam the selected educator should preferably also have understanding of or enthusiasm in riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and music so as to inspire the child in a wide range of interests.
More than that though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a range of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son develop into a "English gentleman" will result in achievement and provide access.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he comments.
However, notwithstanding all this guidance in "UK identity", would the child absorb what is termed cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he resides with in any case?
"Yes", replied he. "The parents 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 price of it is not relevant," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
A number of in the education sector who share those concerns.
An education leader, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who also offer personal educators, commented that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
He noted that he had emigrated from the Far East to the Britain at the time of 7 years old, and had been raised knowing and living two backgrounds. He went on to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The concept that one individual can function as a representation of English culture, someone who can possibly transfer the qualities of a British gentleman onto a one-year-old child, appears naive and unfeasible," he commented.
"In my experience, having a distinctly UK tutor from early childhood will does not instantly achieve the outcome they desire.
"I did not have such a tutor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to experience numerous of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, self-identity cannot be forced from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Of course, English culture is something Adam hopes can be instructed – and marketed.
"I think the fact that the world holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
