"Parents based in North London seeks an remarkable and qualified tutor to guide their smallest child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might readily overlook the wording "first-steps" as simple figurative language.
But, it could be the most significant element of this unusual employment listing, as it seeks to recruit a tutor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of submissions have already been received since the unidentified family posted their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
In recent few weeks, the post has attracted notice across the media, with numerous wondering why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their quest, stated that in spite of early skepticism, he considered the plan "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he noted they appreciated the unusual nature of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
However, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had already set in".
What exactly does the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert replied. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".
He said the older sibling had adopted "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family told Adam they hoped to prevent history to recur with their new baby.
The strategy: To bring in a UK tutor, who should speak with RP, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"A great deal of the learning at the outset here is kind of absorbed naturally," said the expert.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will acquire the UK customs they aim to instil.
Adam noted the tutor had to be somebody who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family plan 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.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told him the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or interest in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
Furthermore though, he said the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an tool by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son grow into a "British gentleman" will bring about achievement and provide access.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he adds.
But, in spite of all this tutelage in "Britishness", would the child adopt what is termed cultural influence from the international family he lives with in any case?
"Yes", said he. "They know this may not work, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'we should try and let's go as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the education sector who have similar reservations.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who provides private tutors, stated that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
Peter explained that he had moved from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the period of childhood, and had been educated knowing and living both cultures. He continued to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that an individual can serve as a embodiment of English culture, an individual who can possibly transfer the attributes of a English gentleman upon a one-year-old child, appears naive and unfeasible," he wrote.
"From my perspective, having a typically UK tutor from infancy will not necessarily achieve the outcome they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and however I have been fortunate enough to experience many of the experiences they hope for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, self-identity cannot be imposed from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, Britishness is something Adam believes can be taught – and commercialized.
"I believe the situation that the world views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
