"Parents based in the northern part of London wants to find an extraordinary and qualified instructor to support their smallest child on his initial journey to becoming an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might readily miss the term "first-steps" as just a turn of phrase.
But, it might be the crucial element of this unusual position posting, as it aims to hire a teacher for a 12-month-old.
Many of submissions have since been received since the unidentified family posted their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted notice in the press, with several questioning why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their hunt, stated that despite early skepticism, he considered the concept "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they understood the atypical aspect of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
But, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural bias had by then taken hold".
But what does the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", the expert replied. "The manner you eat, how you speak".
He said the firstborn had picked up "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family informed the consultant they did not want this pattern to repeat itself with their new baby.
The intention: To engage a English tutor, who needs to speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the education at the outset here is kind of osmotic," explained Adam.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will acquire the UK customs they wish to instil.
He said the tutor must be someone who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Money No Object
The family explained to Adam the successful candidate should preferably also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in riding, skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to influence the child in a diverse set of passions.
Additionally though, he said the family desired the tutor to register the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will bring about success and open doors.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he comments.
Yet, notwithstanding all this guidance in "Britishness", might the child absorb so-called cultural influence from the globally influenced family he is raised by anyway?
"Yes", answered the CEO. "The family know this could fail, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'we should try and let's go as early as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he said.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the education sector who share those reservations.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who provides private tutors, commented that "the journey of embracing two identities, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
Peter explained that he had moved from China to the Britain at the period of seven, and had been brought up knowing and practicing both cultures. He went on to be educated at the University of Cambridge.
"The idea that one individual can function as a living vessel of English culture, an individual who can possibly transfer the characteristics of a UK sophisticate to a one-year-old child, strikes me as idealistic and unrealistic," he commented.
"From my perspective, having a typically British tutor from infancy will does not instantly achieve the goal they desire.
"I did not have that kind of mentor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to experience several of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, self-identity can not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Purchasing UK Culture
Certainly, English culture is something the expert hopes can be educated – and commercialized.
"In my view the fact that the global community views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
