"A household located in North London wants to find an extraordinary and qualified educator to assist their youngest child on his initial journey to turning into an British gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might easily skip the phrase "first-steps" as just an expression.
However, it could be the crucial element of this unique position posting, as it attempts to find a tutor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of responses have already been sent in since the unidentified family advertised their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the post has attracted notice across the press, with numerous wondering why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their search, said that in spite of first doubt, he viewed the plan "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he said they understood the unconventional nature of their request, and how early in age their son is.
But, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had by then become established".
What precisely did the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", Adam responded. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the elder child had absorbed "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family informed him they hoped to prevent this pattern to happen again with their younger child.
The plan: To bring in a English tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the development at the beginning here is somewhat absorbed naturally," explained the expert.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will adopt the English characteristics they want to impart.
He said the tutor must be someone who went to "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family hope 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, effortlessly," he added.
Money No Object
The family informed the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or interest in horse riding, skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Additionally though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will lead to achievement and open doors.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he notes.
However, despite all this guidance in "Britishness", would the child pick up alleged cultural leaning from the international family he resides with regardless?
"Absolutely", answered he. "The parents realize this might not succeed, but they've just taken the view of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the private teaching field who express these reservations.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who also offer personal educators, stated that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
He explained that he had moved from China to the UK at the age of seven, and had been brought up experiencing and practicing two backgrounds. He went on to study at Cambridge University.
"The idea that one individual can serve as a embodiment of Britishness, an individual who can in some way transfer the qualities of a English gentleman onto a one-year-old child, seems to me idealistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"Based on my background, engaging a quintessentially British tutor from infancy will not instantly create the goal they desire.
"I never had such a tutor, and yet I have been lucky enough to live numerous of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, cultural identity cannot be imposed from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, UK identity is something Adam thinks can be instructed – and marketed.
"I believe the reality that the world views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
