"A family located in north London is looking for an exceptional and qualified instructor to assist their smallest child on his early path to growing into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might naturally overlook the wording "first-steps" as simple an expression.
However, it might be the crucial element of this unusual position posting, as it seeks to recruit a teacher for a infant.
Numerous of submissions have since been received since the unidentified family published their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the post has attracted attention across the media, with several questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, head and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their search, explained that despite first doubt, he considered the plan "forward-looking", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he said they recognized the atypical nature of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
However, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had by then become established".
What precisely did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", he replied. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the elder child had adopted "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family explained to him they hoped to prevent the same situation to repeat itself with their new baby.
The intention: To engage a English tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the development at the start here is rather osmotic," explained the expert.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will pick up the British traits they aim to instil.
Adam explained the tutor had to be an individual who studied at "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Money No Object
The family explained to the expert the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or interest in horse riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and music so as to inspire the child in a wide range of interests.
More than that though, he said the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son develop into a "British gentleman" will result in success and create opportunities.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he notes.
But, in spite of all this instruction in "UK identity", might the child adopt alleged cultural leaning from the multicultural family he resides with regardless?
"Absolutely", answered he. "The family know this may not work, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'we should try and let's go as early as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
A number of in the tutoring industry who have those reservations.
Another CEO, head and founder of a tutoring service, who provides individual instructors, wrote that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
He noted that he had relocated from the Far East to the Britain at the time of 7 years old, and had been brought up knowing and living two backgrounds. He went on to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that a single person can serve as a living vessel of Britishness, an individual who can in some way impart the characteristics of a British gentleman upon a one-year-old child, appears idealistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"From my perspective, having a typically UK tutor from infancy will does not necessarily create the goal they desire.
"I did not have such a tutor, and however I have been fortunate enough to experience numerous of the experiences they hope for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, self-identity should not be forced from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Of course, English culture is something Adam thinks can be educated – and sold.
"In my view the situation that the world holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
