"A family located in north London seeks an extraordinary and qualified instructor to support their youngest child on his initial journey to growing into an English gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might naturally overlook the term "first-steps" as simple an expression.
However, it might be the crucial part of this unusual job advert, as it attempts to recruit a tutor for a one-year-old.
Many of responses have already been submitted since the unidentified family advertised their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the post has attracted interest across the media, with many asking why?
Innovative Idea
The CEO, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their hunt, explained that notwithstanding initial scepticism, he considered the idea "forward-looking", and "innovative".
When he spoke with the family, he said they appreciated the unconventional nature of their request, and how immature their son is.
But, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already set in".
What precisely did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert answered. "How you eat, the way you speak".
He said the older sibling had picked up "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family told the consultant they hoped to prevent this pattern to happen again with their new baby.
The strategy: To hire a English tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the education at the outset here is somewhat acquired indirectly," stated the expert.
It's through this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will adopt the UK customs they wish to impart.
The consultant noted the tutor must be somebody who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The instructor must be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to the expert the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or passion in horse riding, skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of passions.
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 starting an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son develop into a "English gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and open doors.
"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he comments.
But, despite all this guidance in "UK identity", would the child adopt alleged cultural influence from the multicultural family he lives with anyway?
"Absolutely", answered he. "The family understand this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'we should try and let's go as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he said.
Overly Optimistic
There are some in the education sector who have similar concerns.
Peter Cui, chief executive of Blue Education, who also offer individual instructors, wrote that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
Peter explained that he had moved from China to the United Kingdom at the time of seven, and had been brought up knowing and practicing two backgrounds. He continued to study at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that one individual can act as a embodiment of UK identity, a person who can possibly transplant the qualities of a English gentleman to a infant child, appears idealistic and impractical," he wrote.
"In my experience, engaging a quintessentially British tutor from babyhood will not automatically produce the goal they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with such a tutor, and however I have been lucky enough to experience many of the situations they hope for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, cultural identity can not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, Britishness is something the expert believes can be educated – and commercialized.
"In my view the fact that the world holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
