"A household located in North London seeks an exceptional and experienced educator to guide their smallest child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."
When reading this post, you might naturally overlook the phrase "first-steps" as simple a turn of phrase.
But, it might be the most important element of this unique position posting, as it aims to hire a tutor for a 12-month-old.
Hundreds of submissions have now been received since the unidentified family advertised their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
During the past few weeks, the listing has attracted interest throughout the media, with many questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their hunt, said that despite first doubt, he considered the idea "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he consulted the family, he said they understood the unconventional character of their demand, and how young their son is.
Nevertheless, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had already set in".
But what did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "comprehensive", Adam answered. "The way you eat, the way you speak".
He stated the elder child had picked up "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family explained to Adam they did not want history to repeat itself with their younger child.
The strategy: To hire a UK tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"Much of the learning at the start here is somewhat osmotic," explained Adam.
It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will acquire the British traits they want to instil.
Adam said the tutor must be somebody who went to "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The instructor simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he added.
Cost Not Relevant
The family explained to him the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of interests.
Additionally though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a range of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and picking up an tool by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's perspective, assisting their son develop into a "British gentleman" will result in success and provide access.
"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he notes.
Yet, in spite of all this tutelage in "Britishness", might the child absorb what is termed cultural bias from the international family he lives with regardless?
"Yes", replied he. "They understand this may not work, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he stated.
Impractical
There are some in the tutoring industry who have those concerns.
Peter Cui, head and founder of Blue Education, who also offer individual instructors, stated that "the development of becoming bicultural, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not designed."
Peter wrote that he had emigrated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the age of 7 years old, and had been brought up understanding and embodying two backgrounds. He progressed to learn at a prestigious UK institution.
"The notion that an individual can serve as a representation of Britishness, someone who can somehow transplant the qualities of a British gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, seems to me idealistic and impractical," he wrote.
"Based on my background, employing a typically English tutor from babyhood will does not instantly achieve the goal they hope for.
"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and yet I have been fortunate enough to enjoy numerous of the experiences they desire for their son."
He continued: "The truth is, self-identity should not be imposed from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Buying Britishness
Of course, Britishness is something the expert hopes can be taught – and commercialized.
"In my view the situation that the world views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
