"A household located in the northern part of London seeks an remarkable and qualified instructor to guide their youngest child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."
When reading this advertisement, you might easily miss the wording "first-steps" as simple an expression.
But, it might be the most significant aspect of this unusual job advert, as it aims to recruit a mentor for a one-year-old.
Many of applications have since been sent in since the unnamed family posted their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "someone very special".
During the past few weeks, the listing has attracted interest in the press, with numerous asking why?
Progressive Approach
Adam Caller, head and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their search, stated that despite first scepticism, he considered the concept "far sighted", and "progressive".
When he met the family, he noted they recognized the atypical aspect of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.
However, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already taken hold".
But what does the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", he responded. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He said the firstborn had absorbed "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family explained to Adam they wished to avoid this pattern to repeat itself with their infant.
The strategy: To hire a UK tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the learning at the start here is somewhat absorbed naturally," stated Adam.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will adopt the English characteristics they wish to instil.
Adam said the tutor must be an individual who went to "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Expense Not a Factor
The family explained to Adam the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in horse riding, skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of passions.
Additionally though, he explained the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a range of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son develop into a "English gentleman" will result in achievement and create opportunities.
"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he adds.
But, notwithstanding all this instruction in "Britishness", could the child adopt alleged cultural leaning from the multicultural family he lives with anyway?
"Certainly", said Adam. "The family realize this could fail, but they've just taken the view of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as early as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the private teaching field who share these doubts.
An education leader, chief executive of Blue Education, who provides private tutors, commented that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."
The expert wrote that he had moved from Asia to the UK at the time of 7 years old, and had been raised experiencing and embodying dual heritages. He progressed to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.
"The idea that one individual can serve as a embodiment of English culture, someone who can somehow transplant the characteristics of a British gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, strikes me as naive and impractical," he wrote.
"Based on my background, employing a typically British tutor from babyhood will does not automatically produce the result they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and yet I have been fortunate enough to enjoy several of the experiences they hope for their son."
He stated: "The fact is, self-identity can not be imposed from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Purchasing UK Culture
Naturally, English culture is something Adam thinks can be taught – and sold.
"I think the fact that the global community holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
