"A household based in the northern part of London wants to find an remarkable and experienced instructor to guide their youngest child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might naturally miss the phrase "first-steps" as just an expression.
Yet, it might be the crucial element of this distinctive job advert, as it attempts to hire a teacher for a infant.
Numerous of applications have now been received since the unidentified family posted their call for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the listing has received interest throughout the media, with many wondering why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, chief executive of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their hunt, explained that in spite of early skepticism, he viewed the plan "visionary", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he said they appreciated the unusual aspect of their request, and how early in age their son is.
But, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already set in".
What exactly did the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", Adam responded. "How you eat, how you speak".
He stated the elder child had picked up "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family told him they hoped to prevent this pattern to recur with their new baby.
The strategy: To engage a British tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"Much of the development at the start here is kind of osmotic," said the expert.
It's via this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will adopt the English characteristics they want to instil.
He explained the tutor had to be an individual who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator must be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed him the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and music so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
Additionally though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son develop into a "British gentleman" will bring about achievement and create opportunities.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he adds.
But, notwithstanding all this guidance in "English culture", would the child adopt alleged cultural leaning from the international family he resides with in any case?
"Yes", answered he. "The family understand this may not work, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the education sector who have those concerns.
An education leader, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who also offer private tutors, commented that "the development of embracing two identities, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
He wrote that he had relocated from China to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been educated understanding and embodying two backgrounds. He progressed to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that a single person can function as a embodiment of English culture, someone who can possibly transplant the attributes of a British gentleman onto a one-year-old child, appears idealistic and unfeasible," he stated.
"In my experience, employing a typically British tutor from early childhood will does not necessarily achieve the result they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and however I have been fortunate enough to live many of the situations they hope for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, self-identity should not be dictated from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, English culture is something Adam believes can be educated – and sold.
"In my view the situation that the global community holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
