"A household residing in the northern part of London seeks an remarkable and skilled instructor to guide their smallest child on his early path to turning into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might easily miss the term "first-steps" as mere a turn of phrase.
However, it may be the most significant aspect of this unique employment listing, as it aims to recruit a mentor for a infant.
Many of applications have already been submitted since the unnamed family published their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the listing has received attention throughout the media, with several asking why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, head and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their search, explained that notwithstanding first scepticism, he considered the idea "visionary", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they recognized the atypical character of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had by then taken hold".
What precisely does the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", the expert replied. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He explained the firstborn had adopted "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family informed him they wished to avoid the same situation to happen again with their infant.
The intention: To bring in a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the learning at the beginning here is rather absorbed naturally," stated the CEO.
It's through this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will pick up the UK customs they aim to cultivate.
He explained the tutor must be someone who attended "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family hope 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 added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed him the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in horse riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a wide range of interests.
More than that though, he said the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son become a "UK sophisticate" will result in accomplishment and open doors.
"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he notes.
But, in spite of all this guidance in "UK identity", might the child adopt what is termed cultural influence from the globally influenced family he is raised by regardless?
"Absolutely", answered he. "The family understand this could fail, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'we should try and let's go as soon as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
There are some in the education sector who share similar doubts.
Another CEO, chief executive of a tutoring service, who supplies individual instructors, wrote that "the journey of embracing two identities, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
He explained that he had emigrated from China to the United Kingdom at the period of childhood, and had been brought up experiencing and living two backgrounds. He continued to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that an individual can act as a embodiment of English culture, a person who can in some way transplant the characteristics of a UK sophisticate upon a 12-month-old child, strikes me as idealistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"From my perspective, engaging a distinctly UK tutor from babyhood will will not necessarily achieve the outcome they desire.
"I did not have such a tutor, and however I have been fortunate enough to experience many of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, personal 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 the CEO hopes can be instructed – and marketed.
"I think the fact that the global community regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
