"A family based in North London seeks an remarkable and qualified educator to support their most junior child on his early path to growing into an English gentleman."
Looking at this listing, you might easily overlook the phrase "first-steps" as just an expression.
However, it may be the crucial aspect of this distinctive job advert, as it attempts to hire a tutor for a one-year-old.
Many of responses have now been sent in since the unnamed family published their search for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "someone very special".
Over the last few weeks, the post has gained attention across the media, with many questioning why?
Innovative Idea
Adam Caller, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their hunt, said that despite first scepticism, he found the idea "far sighted", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unusual character of their demand, and how immature their son is.
But, they stated that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had by then become established".
What exactly does the family mean by "cultural leaning"?
It's "all-encompassing", Adam answered. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He explained the elder child had adopted "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family told Adam they wished to avoid this pattern to repeat itself with their younger child.
The plan: To hire a English tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from the very start.
Natural Absorption
"A lot of the development at the beginning here is rather acquired indirectly," stated the CEO.
It's via this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will adopt the British traits they wish to impart.
Adam explained the tutor must be someone who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".
"The educator simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Money No Object
The family informed Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in riding, skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to shape the child in a wide range of passions.
Furthermore though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an instrument by the time they are about three years old".
In the family's minds, assisting their son grow into a "British gentleman" will lead to achievement and open doors.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he comments.
Yet, despite all this tutelage in "English culture", could the child pick up what is termed cultural influence from the globally influenced family he resides with anyway?
"Absolutely", answered he. "The parents understand this could fail, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he stated.
Impractical
There are some in the education sector who express those reservations.
Peter Cui, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who also offer personal educators, stated that "the development of embracing two identities, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."
He noted that he had emigrated from the Far East to the UK at the period of childhood, and had been raised knowing and living both cultures. He went on to learn at Cambridge University.
"The notion that a single person can serve as a embodiment of UK identity, an individual who can somehow transplant the characteristics of a UK sophisticate onto a infant child, strikes me as idealistic and unfeasible," he commented.
"In my experience, having a quintessentially UK tutor from early childhood will does not necessarily produce the result they desire.
"I did not have such a tutor, and yet I have been lucky enough to experience numerous of the opportunities they aspire for their son."
He continued: "The fact is, self-identity can not be dictated from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."
Acquiring Englishness
Certainly, UK identity is something Adam hopes can be educated – and sold.
"I believe the reality that the world holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
