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"A family residing in north London is looking for an remarkable and skilled tutor to support their youngest child on his initial journey to turning into an British gentleman."

Looking at this advertisement, you might readily skip the wording "first-steps" as just an expression.

Yet, it could be the most significant element of this unique position posting, as it aims to hire a teacher for a one-year-old.

Many of applications have now been submitted since the anonymous family published their call for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".

In recent few weeks, the listing has received notice in the press, with numerous questioning why?

Progressive Approach

The CEO, head and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their search, stated that notwithstanding first scepticism, he considered the plan "forward-looking", and "innovative".

When he met the family, he said they appreciated the atypical aspect of their request, and how early in age their son is.

But, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural conditioning had by then become established".

What precisely does the family mean by "cultural bias"?

It's "all-encompassing", Adam replied. "How you eat, the manner you speak".

He stated the firstborn had adopted "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family explained to him they hoped to prevent this pattern to happen again with their new baby.

The strategy: To engage a English tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to guide the baby from day one.

Osmotic Learning

"Much of the education at the start here is kind of acquired indirectly," explained Adam.

It's through this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will pick up the UK customs they want to instil.

The consultant explained the tutor needed to be somebody who attended "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".

"The educator just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he said.

Cost Not Relevant

The family informed the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a wide range of hobbies.

Furthermore though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of lessons 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 "UK sophisticate" will lead to success and open doors.

"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he adds.

However, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "English culture", could the child absorb what is termed cultural bias from the multicultural family he lives with anyway?

"Absolutely", said Adam. "The family realize this could fail, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'we should try and we should start as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is not relevant," he said.

Overly Optimistic

A number of in the tutoring industry who express these doubts.

Another CEO, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who also offer individual instructors, commented that "the process of embracing two identities, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."

Peter noted that he had relocated from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised understanding and practicing dual heritages. He went on to study at Cambridge University.

"The concept that a single person can serve as a embodiment of Britishness, a person who can in some way transfer the qualities of a British gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, appears optimistic and impractical," he commented.

"In my experience, engaging a quintessentially UK tutor from babyhood will does not automatically produce the outcome they hope for.

"I did not have such a tutor, and however I have been fortunate enough to live many of the opportunities they aspire for their son."

He continued: "The truth is, personal identity cannot be dictated from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must come from within."

Buying Britishness

Of course, English culture is something the expert believes can be taught – and commercialized.

"I think the fact that the international society holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating