"Parents based in the northern part of London wants to find an extraordinary and skilled educator to assist their most junior child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might readily miss the term "first-steps" as mere figurative language.
But, it might be the most important aspect of this distinctive employment listing, as it aims to recruit a mentor for a one-year-old.
Hundreds of submissions have since been submitted since the unnamed family published their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the post has received notice across the news, with numerous wondering why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their hunt, stated that notwithstanding early scepticism, he found the plan "visionary", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unusual character of their requirement, and how young their son is.
However, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already taken hold".
What exactly did the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert responded. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the older sibling had picked up "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family explained to the consultant they hoped to prevent this pattern to recur with their new baby.
The intention: To engage a UK tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the education at the start here is kind of absorbed naturally," said Adam.
It's via this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will pick up 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 tutor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or passion in riding, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to shape the child in a diverse set of passions.
Additionally though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a range of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son develop into a "English gentleman" will result in success and provide access.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he notes.
However, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "Britishness", could the child absorb alleged cultural influence from the globally influenced family he lives with regardless?
"Absolutely", answered the CEO. "They understand this could fail, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he explained.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the education sector who express similar doubts.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who supplies individual instructors, wrote that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
Peter wrote that he had emigrated from the Far East to the Britain at the age of childhood, and had been raised knowing and practicing two backgrounds. He progressed to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that an individual can serve as a embodiment of Britishness, an individual who can possibly transfer the qualities of a UK sophisticate upon a infant child, seems to me idealistic and impractical," he commented.
"In my experience, employing a quintessentially British tutor from babyhood will does not instantly produce the outcome they desire.
"I never had that kind of mentor, and yet I have been privileged enough to enjoy many of the experiences they desire for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, self-identity cannot be dictated from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Of course, Britishness is something the CEO thinks can be educated – and commercialized.
"I believe the fact that the global community holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
