"A household residing in the northern part of London wants to find an remarkable and experienced tutor to support their smallest child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might naturally overlook the term "first-steps" as just an expression.
Yet, it could be the crucial part of this unusual job advert, as it aims to find a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Many of applications have now been sent in since the unnamed family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the listing has attracted attention in the press, with several asking why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their hunt, said that despite initial doubt, he considered the plan "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he spoke with the family, he noted they appreciated the unusual character of their request, and how immature their son is.
Nevertheless, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already set in".
What precisely did the family refer to by "cultural bias"?
It's "everything", Adam responded. "How you eat, how you speak".
He stated the elder child had adopted "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family explained to Adam they did not want history to recur with their infant.
The strategy: To engage a British tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to shape the baby from day one.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the development at the start here is rather osmotic," said the expert.
It's via this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will adopt the British traits they wish to impart.
The consultant said the tutor must be somebody who studied at "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in equestrian activities, winter sports, creative fields and musical activities so as to influence the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
More than that though, he said the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a range of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, guiding their son grow into a "English gentleman" will result in success and open doors.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he adds.
Yet, in spite of all this instruction in "English culture", would the child absorb alleged cultural bias from the international family he lives with regardless?
"Absolutely", answered the CEO. "The family know this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he said.
Overly Optimistic
Several in the education sector who express those doubts.
An education leader, head and founder of an educational organization, who supplies individual instructors, stated that "the process of becoming bicultural, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."
He noted that he had emigrated from the Far East to the Britain at the time of childhood, and had been raised understanding and embodying both cultures. He progressed to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that an individual can serve as a living vessel of Britishness, an individual who can in some way transplant the characteristics of a English gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, seems to me naive and unfeasible," he wrote.
"In my experience, employing a quintessentially English tutor from infancy will will not automatically achieve the outcome they desire.
"I did not have such a figure, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to live many of the situations they aspire for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, cultural identity cannot be dictated from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, English culture is something the CEO hopes can be taught – and sold.
"In my view the fact that the world holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
