"Parents based in the northern part of London seeks an remarkable and experienced educator to assist their most junior child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this advertisement, you might naturally skip the wording "first-steps" as simple a turn of phrase.
But, it may be the most significant part of this unusual employment listing, as it attempts to find a tutor for a infant.
Many of applications have since been submitted since the unidentified family posted their call for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
In recent few weeks, the listing has received notice throughout the news, with several wondering why?
Progressive Approach
A tutoring expert, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their quest, stated that in spite of first skepticism, he found the plan "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he noted they recognized the atypical aspect of their requirement, and how young their son is.
But, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already set in".
But what does the family mean by "cultural bias"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam answered. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".
He said the older sibling had absorbed "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family told him they wished to avoid history to repeat itself with their new baby.
The plan: To bring in a UK tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"A great deal of the education at the beginning here is rather osmotic," said Adam.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will adopt the UK customs they aim to impart.
Adam noted the tutor must be someone who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, winter sports, the arts and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of passions.
More than that though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a range of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's perspective, guiding their son grow into a "British gentleman" will bring about success and open doors.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he adds.
However, in spite of all this guidance in "Britishness", would the child pick up so-called cultural leaning from the multicultural family he resides with in any case?
"Absolutely", replied Adam. "They realize this might not succeed, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he said.
Impractical
There are some in the education sector who share these doubts.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who provides personal educators, wrote that "the process of embracing two identities, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
Peter explained that he had moved from China to the United Kingdom at the time of childhood, and had been educated knowing and embodying two backgrounds. He went on to study at a prestigious UK institution.
"The concept that a single person can function as a living vessel of English culture, an individual who can somehow impart the attributes of a English gentleman onto a one-year-old child, appears idealistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"From my perspective, having a typically English tutor from infancy will not instantly produce the outcome they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and however I have been lucky enough to experience several of the opportunities they desire for their son."
He added: "The truth is, self-identity can not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Acquiring Englishness
Naturally, English culture is something the CEO thinks can be taught – and marketed.
"In my view the situation that the world regards us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
