"A family residing in North London wants to find an exceptional and experienced tutor to support their youngest child on his early path to growing into an English gentleman."
Upon seeing this post, you might easily skip the term "first-steps" as just a turn of phrase.
But, it could be the most important part of this unique job advert, as it seeks to find a teacher for a one-year-old.
Many of applications have already been sent in since the anonymous family published their call for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".
Over the last few weeks, the post has gained attention in the press, with numerous questioning why?
Forward-Thinking Method
A tutoring expert, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their search, stated that in spite of initial skepticism, he viewed the plan "forward-looking", and "advanced".
When he spoke with the family, he said they appreciated the unconventional nature of their demand, and how early in age their son is.
However, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already set in".
What exactly did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "everything", the expert replied. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He explained the firstborn had adopted "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family told the consultant they wished to avoid this pattern to happen again with their younger child.
The strategy: To bring in a English tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby right from the beginning.
Subtle Influence
"Much of the education at the beginning here is rather absorbed naturally," stated the expert.
It's through this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will adopt the UK customs they aim to cultivate.
The consultant explained the tutor had to be someone who studied at "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 suitable individual, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he said.
Cost Not Relevant
The family informed the expert the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in riding, alpine skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a diverse set of hobbies.
Additionally though, he said the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a range of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's minds, helping their son become a "UK sophisticate" will result in success and create opportunities.
"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he notes.
Yet, notwithstanding all this guidance in "Britishness", would the child pick up alleged cultural bias from the international family he lives with in any case?
"Yes", answered Adam. "The parents know this may not work, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as soon as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he said.
Impractical
A number of in the education sector who share those doubts.
Another CEO, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who supplies individual instructors, stated that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."
The expert explained that he had moved from China to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been brought up knowing and embodying both cultures. He progressed to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The concept that an individual can function as a representation of UK identity, someone who can somehow transfer the characteristics of a English gentleman to a infant child, appears optimistic and unfeasible," he wrote.
"From my perspective, having a distinctly British tutor from early childhood will will not instantly produce the goal they want.
"I did not have such a figure, and however I have been privileged enough to live several of the situations they desire for their son."
He added: "The reality is, self-identity can not be imposed from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Certainly, Britishness is something Adam believes can be educated – and marketed.
"I think the reality that the international society holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
