"Parents located in North London seeks an remarkable and qualified instructor to assist their youngest child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."
Looking at this advertisement, you might naturally overlook the phrase "first-steps" as simple a turn of phrase.
Yet, it could be the most important element of this unique position posting, as it seeks to find a mentor for a infant.
Many of applications have since been sent in since the anonymous family advertised their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the advert has received notice in the press, with several asking why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, chief executive of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their search, stated that in spite of initial doubt, he found the plan "far sighted", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they appreciated the atypical character of their demand, and how immature their son is.
But, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural bias had by then set in".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", Adam answered. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He stated the elder child had absorbed "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family informed Adam they did not want this pattern to happen again with their younger child.
The intention: To hire a British tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from day one.
Subtle Influence
"A lot of the education at the start here is rather acquired indirectly," said Adam.
It's through this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will acquire the British traits they want to instil.
He noted the tutor needed to be someone who went to "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".
"The educator must be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Money No Object
The family informed Adam the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or interest in riding, skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
Furthermore though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son grow into a "British gentleman" will lead to achievement and provide access.
"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he notes.
Yet, despite all this tutelage in "English culture", might the child pick up what is termed cultural bias from the international family he lives with anyway?
"Absolutely", answered Adam. "They understand this may not work, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'why not attempt it and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he stated.
Impractical
Several in the education sector who have those concerns.
An education leader, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who also offer individual instructors, stated that "the journey of embracing two identities, or actually, becoming oneself, 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 brought up experiencing and practicing dual heritages. He progressed to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that an individual can serve as a living vessel of English culture, someone who can somehow transplant the attributes of a English gentleman onto a one-year-old child, strikes me as idealistic and impractical," he wrote.
"Based on my background, having a typically British tutor from babyhood will does not necessarily produce the goal they want.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and however I have been privileged enough to live many of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The reality is, personal identity should not be forced from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, UK identity is something the CEO hopes can be taught – and commercialized.
"I believe the situation that the international society regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
