"A household residing in the northern part of London seeks an exceptional and qualified tutor to assist their smallest child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might easily skip the term "first-steps" as just an expression.
However, it might be the most important element of this distinctive employment listing, as it attempts to recruit a tutor for a infant.
Hundreds of submissions have since been received since the unidentified family posted their request for the highly paid tutor, who must be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the post has attracted attention across the press, with many questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their search, stated that notwithstanding initial skepticism, he found the plan "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they appreciated the atypical aspect of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
However, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already set in".
What precisely did the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam answered. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He explained the older sibling had picked up "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family told him they hoped to prevent this pattern to happen again with their new baby.
The intention: To bring in a British tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the learning at the outset here is rather absorbed naturally," stated Adam.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will pick up the UK customs they wish to impart.
He said the tutor had to be an individual who went to "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told the expert the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or passion in horse riding, winter sports, creative fields and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
Additionally though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son develop into a "English gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and provide access.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he comments.
However, in spite of all this guidance in "Britishness", might the child absorb what is termed cultural leaning from the international family he is raised by regardless?
"Absolutely", answered the CEO. "They understand this may not work, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as early as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the private teaching field who express these concerns.
An education leader, chief executive of a tutoring service, who also offer private tutors, commented that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
He wrote that he had relocated from Asia to the Britain at the period of childhood, and had been brought up understanding and embodying two backgrounds. He went on to study at Cambridge University.
"The notion that one individual can serve as a representation of Britishness, an individual who can possibly transplant the attributes of a UK sophisticate to a infant child, strikes me as idealistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"From my perspective, having a typically UK tutor from early childhood will does not necessarily create the goal they hope for.
"I never had such a tutor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to enjoy several of the situations they hope for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, personal identity can not be dictated from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, Britishness is something the expert believes can be educated – and marketed.
"I believe the fact that the global community regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
