"A family located in North London seeks an exceptional and qualified instructor to assist their most junior child on his early path to becoming an English gentleman."
When reading this post, you might readily skip the phrase "first-steps" as mere an expression.
Yet, it could be the most significant element of this unusual job advert, as it seeks to recruit a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of submissions have now been sent in since the anonymous family posted their call for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the advert has gained interest across the news, with numerous asking why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their quest, explained that despite early doubt, he found the plan "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they understood the unusual aspect of their request, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already become established".
What exactly did the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", he answered. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the older sibling had adopted "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family explained to him they wished to avoid this pattern to happen again with their infant.
The plan: To hire a English tutor, who must speak with RP, to guide the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the development at the outset here is somewhat acquired indirectly," said the CEO.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will acquire the British traits they wish to instil.
The consultant said the tutor needed to be an individual who attended "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family told him the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in horse riding, skiing, the arts and music so as to influence the child in a diverse set of interests.
Additionally though, he said the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's view, helping their son become a "English gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and create opportunities.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he notes.
Yet, despite all this guidance in "UK identity", could the child adopt what is termed cultural influence from the international family he lives with regardless?
"Absolutely", replied the CEO. "The family know this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as soon as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he said.
Impractical
There are some in the education sector who have these concerns.
An education leader, head and founder of an educational organization, who provides individual instructors, commented that "the journey of embracing two identities, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
Peter wrote that he had emigrated from the Far East to the Britain at the time of childhood, and had been educated understanding and living two backgrounds. He continued to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that an individual can serve as a living vessel of UK identity, someone who can somehow impart the attributes of a English gentleman upon a infant child, seems to me naive and impractical," he commented.
"In my experience, employing a typically UK tutor from early childhood will does not automatically achieve the goal they want.
"I never had such a figure, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to enjoy several of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, personal identity should not be dictated from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be educated – and marketed.
"In my view the reality that the global community views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
