"A family based in North London wants to find an extraordinary and qualified instructor to assist their smallest child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might easily skip the wording "first-steps" as just an expression.
However, it might be the most important element of this distinctive job advert, as it attempts to recruit a mentor for a infant.
Numerous of applications have since been sent in since the unnamed family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has received notice throughout the news, with many asking why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their hunt, stated that notwithstanding first skepticism, he found the idea "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he consulted the family, he said they understood the unusual nature of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
However, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had by then taken hold".
But what did the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert responded. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He stated the elder child had adopted "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family told him they did not want this pattern to repeat itself with their younger child.
The strategy: To engage a UK tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A great deal of the development at the beginning here is somewhat osmotic," explained Adam.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will pick up the British traits they wish to instil.
The consultant explained the tutor had to be someone who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told him the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in equestrian activities, winter sports, artistic pursuits and music so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
More than that though, he said the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's minds, assisting their son become a "English gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and create opportunities.
"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he adds.
However, despite all this guidance in "Britishness", could the child pick up so-called cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he lives with anyway?
"Absolutely", replied Adam. "The parents realize this could fail, but they've just taken 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 stated.
Impractical
A number of in the tutoring industry who share similar doubts.
Peter Cui, chief executive of a tutoring service, who supplies private tutors, stated that "the development of becoming bicultural, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
He noted that he had relocated from China to the UK at the time of seven, and had been brought up understanding and practicing dual heritages. He continued to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that an individual can function as a embodiment of Britishness, someone who can in some way transfer the qualities of a British gentleman to a 12-month-old child, strikes me as idealistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"In my experience, having a typically UK tutor from early childhood will does not automatically achieve the goal they desire.
"I did not have such a tutor, and yet I have been privileged enough to experience several of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, personal identity can not be dictated from the outside; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Of course, English culture is something the CEO hopes can be taught – and sold.
"In my view the fact that the global community regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
