"A family residing in the northern part of London is looking for an extraordinary and experienced tutor to assist their youngest child on his early path to turning into an English gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might easily miss the term "first-steps" as mere a turn of phrase.
But, it may be the most important element of this distinctive job advert, as it attempts to recruit a teacher for a infant.
Hundreds of submissions have now been received since the anonymous family advertised their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
In recent few weeks, the advert has attracted interest throughout the press, with several asking why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their search, stated that notwithstanding initial doubt, he viewed the concept "visionary", and "innovative".
When he met the family, he noted they appreciated the atypical character of their request, and how early in age their son is.
Nevertheless, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already become established".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", he replied. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He said the older sibling had picked up "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family explained to Adam they hoped to prevent the same situation to recur with their new baby.
The intention: To hire a UK tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the education at the outset here is kind of acquired indirectly," stated Adam.
It's via this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will adopt the English characteristics they aim to impart.
Adam explained the tutor must be somebody who studied at "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Money No Object
The family told Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in horse riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and music so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Additionally though, he said the family desired the tutor to register the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son develop into a "English gentleman" will result in success and provide access.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he notes.
However, notwithstanding all this guidance in "Britishness", might the child pick up alleged cultural bias from the multicultural family he lives with in any case?
"Absolutely", said Adam. "They know this could fail, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as soon as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the private teaching field who share these concerns.
An education leader, chief executive of Blue Education, who provides personal educators, stated that "the journey of embracing two identities, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
Peter explained that he had relocated from China to the Britain at the age of 7 years old, and had been brought up experiencing and practicing two backgrounds. He continued to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that one individual can serve as a living vessel of UK identity, someone who can possibly transfer the characteristics of a British gentleman upon a infant child, seems to me optimistic and unrealistic," he wrote.
"In my experience, employing a typically English tutor from babyhood will will not instantly produce the outcome they desire.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to enjoy numerous of the experiences they hope for their son."
He added: "The truth is, personal identity should not be forced from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, Britishness is something Adam thinks can be educated – and marketed.
"In my view the fact that the international society views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
