"A family located in the northern part of London is looking for an extraordinary and qualified educator to support their smallest child on his early path to turning into an British gentleman."
Looking at this post, you might readily overlook the term "first-steps" as simple a turn of phrase.
However, it might be the most important aspect of this unusual position posting, as it aims to hire a mentor for a 12-month-old.
Numerous of responses have now been sent in since the unnamed family published their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".
During the past few weeks, the post has attracted interest throughout the news, with many questioning why?
Progressive Approach
The CEO, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their quest, stated that despite first skepticism, he found the plan "visionary", and "progressive".
When he consulted the family, he mentioned they recognized the unusual aspect of their request, and how early in age their son is.
But, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had already taken hold".
What exactly did the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?
It's "everything", he answered. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He stated the older sibling had adopted "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family informed Adam they wished to avoid the same situation to recur with their younger child.
The strategy: To bring in a UK tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from the very start.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the learning at the outset here is somewhat absorbed naturally," stated the CEO.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will adopt the English characteristics they want to cultivate.
Adam noted the tutor needed to be an individual who went to "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed the expert the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, the arts and musical activities so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Furthermore though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a range of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, helping their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will result in success and provide access.
"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he comments.
Yet, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "Britishness", would the child adopt what is termed cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he lives with in any case?
"Absolutely", said Adam. "The family know this may not work, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he explained.
Impractical
Several in the private teaching field who share similar reservations.
An education leader, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who provides personal educators, wrote that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
The expert noted that he had moved from Asia to the United Kingdom at the period of 7 years old, and had been educated experiencing and living both cultures. He progressed to be educated at Cambridge University.
"The notion that a single person can function as a representation of UK identity, an individual who can somehow transplant the attributes of a English gentleman onto a infant child, seems to me idealistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"From my perspective, having a distinctly UK tutor from infancy will will not automatically create the result they desire.
"I never had such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to experience many of the experiences they aspire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, personal identity should not be dictated from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, English culture is something the expert thinks can be educated – and marketed.
"In my view the situation that the international society regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
