"A household residing in north London seeks an extraordinary and qualified instructor to guide their smallest child on his early path to growing into an English gentleman."
When reading this post, you might easily overlook the phrase "first-steps" as mere an expression.
But, it could be the most significant element of this unique job advert, as it attempts to recruit a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Many of submissions have now been sent in since the unidentified family published their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the listing has received attention throughout the media, with several asking why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their hunt, said that despite initial doubt, he viewed the plan "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they appreciated the unconventional nature of their requirement, and how immature their son is.
But, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural bias had by then taken hold".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", he replied. "How you eat, how you speak".
He stated the elder child had picked up "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family told him they hoped to prevent the same situation to repeat itself with their younger child.
The intention: To hire a British tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby from the very start.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the learning at the outset here is rather osmotic," said the CEO.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will pick up the English characteristics they aim to cultivate.
He noted the tutor must be somebody who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – 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 performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to him the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or interest in equestrian activities, skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of interests.
More than that though, he said the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, guiding their son develop into a "British gentleman" will result in success and provide access.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he notes.
But, notwithstanding all this guidance in "English culture", could the child absorb what is termed cultural bias from the international family he lives with in any case?
"Certainly", replied the CEO. "The parents understand this may not work, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he said.
Impractical
A number of in the tutoring industry who express those concerns.
Another CEO, head and founder of a tutoring service, who provides individual instructors, commented that "the process of becoming bicultural, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
He noted that he had relocated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the age of childhood, and had been raised experiencing and practicing two backgrounds. He progressed to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The concept that one individual can serve as a embodiment of Britishness, someone who can in some way impart the qualities of a English gentleman upon a infant child, seems to me optimistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"In my experience, employing a distinctly British tutor from babyhood will will not automatically produce the result they hope for.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to live many of the opportunities they hope for their son."
He added: "The reality is, personal identity cannot be forced from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, UK identity is something the CEO hopes can be taught – and sold.
"I think the situation that the world regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
