"A family located in North London seeks an exceptional and experienced educator to guide their most junior child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might easily overlook the wording "first-steps" as just an expression.
Yet, it may be the most important element of this unique job advert, as it attempts to find a tutor for a infant.
Many of applications have since been sent in since the unnamed family posted their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
In recent few weeks, the listing has received interest across the media, with many wondering why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their quest, stated that in spite of initial skepticism, he found the idea "visionary", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they understood the unconventional nature of their request, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already become established".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam responded. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He said the firstborn had absorbed "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family explained to Adam they wished to avoid the same situation to happen again with their new baby.
The plan: To hire a English tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to shape the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the development at the start here is somewhat osmotic," explained the expert.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will adopt the English characteristics they aim to impart.
The consultant said the tutor had to be somebody who attended "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Money No Object
The family explained to him the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in riding, winter sports, creative fields and musical activities so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
More than that though, he explained the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son become a "British gentleman" will bring about success and open doors.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he comments.
However, despite all this tutelage in "Britishness", could the child pick up alleged cultural influence from the international family he lives with anyway?
"Absolutely", said the CEO. "The family know this could fail, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Impractical
There are some in the private teaching field who express those doubts.
Another CEO, head and founder of a tutoring service, who supplies private tutors, stated that "the journey of embracing two identities, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."
He noted that he had relocated from the Far East to the UK at the time of seven, and had been raised understanding and practicing dual heritages. He progressed to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that an individual can act as a embodiment of UK identity, a person who can in some way transfer the attributes of a English gentleman onto a infant child, appears naive and unfeasible," he stated.
"From my perspective, employing a distinctly English tutor from infancy will not automatically create the result they want.
"I never had such a figure, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to enjoy numerous of the experiences they hope for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, cultural identity should not be forced from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Of course, Britishness is something the expert hopes can be taught – and commercialized.
"In my view the fact that the international society views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
