"A family residing in the northern part of London wants to find an extraordinary and experienced educator to support their most junior child on his initial journey to turning into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might naturally overlook the term "first-steps" as simple a turn of phrase.
But, it may be the most significant part of this unusual employment listing, as it seeks to find a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Many of responses have now been submitted since the unidentified family posted their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted attention across the media, with several wondering why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their hunt, said that notwithstanding first skepticism, he considered the concept "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they understood the atypical nature of their request, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural bias had by then set in".
What precisely did the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", Adam responded. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the older sibling had picked up "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family informed the consultant they wished to avoid this pattern to repeat itself with their younger child.
The intention: To engage a British tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to shape the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the development at the start here is somewhat absorbed naturally," explained the expert.
It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will acquire the UK customs they wish to instil.
The consultant explained the tutor must be someone who went to "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told him the chosen tutor should preferably also have understanding of or passion in equestrian activities, winter sports, creative fields and musical activities so as to shape the child in a wide range of interests.
More than that though, he said the family hoped the tutor to sign up 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 about three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son develop into a "British gentleman" will lead to success and provide access.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he adds.
However, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "English culture", would the child pick up alleged cultural leaning from the multicultural family he resides with regardless?
"Yes", said he. "They understand this could fail, but they've just taken the view of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he stated.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the education sector who express those reservations.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who supplies individual instructors, wrote that "the process of becoming bicultural, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
He noted that he had relocated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the age of childhood, and had been brought up understanding and practicing both cultures. He progressed to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that an individual can function as a living vessel of Britishness, someone who can possibly transfer the qualities of a English gentleman upon a infant child, strikes me as idealistic and impractical," he commented.
"From my perspective, employing a typically English tutor from infancy will will not automatically create the goal they hope for.
"I did not have such a figure, and however I have been privileged enough to enjoy many of the situations they aspire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, cultural identity cannot be imposed from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Of course, UK identity is something Adam hopes can be taught – and marketed.
"I believe the reality that the global community views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
