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"A family residing in North London is looking for an extraordinary and experienced instructor to guide their smallest child on his first steps to growing into an English gentleman."

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

Yet, it may be the most important aspect of this unique employment listing, as it seeks to find a mentor for a one-year-old.

Many of responses have already been submitted since the unidentified family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".

In recent few weeks, the listing has attracted notice across the press, with numerous wondering why?

Forward-Thinking Method

Adam Caller, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their quest, stated that notwithstanding early scepticism, he viewed the idea "forward-looking", and "progressive".

When he consulted the family, he noted they understood the unconventional nature of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.

Nevertheless, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already set in".

What precisely did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?

It's "comprehensive", Adam replied. "How you eat, the way you speak".

He stated the elder child had picked up "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family explained to Adam they wished to avoid history to happen again with their new baby.

The plan: To bring in a British tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to influence the baby from the very start.

Osmotic Learning

"Much of the learning at the beginning here is kind of absorbed naturally," stated Adam.

It's through this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will adopt the British traits they aim to instil.

The consultant explained the tutor needed to be somebody who went to "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".

"The instructor must be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.

Expense Not a Factor

The family informed him the chosen tutor should preferably also have familiarity of or passion in equestrian activities, winter sports, the arts and music so as to inspire the child in a wide range of interests.

More than that though, he said the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a range of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an musical instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".

In the family's view, assisting their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will lead to accomplishment and provide access.

"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he comments.

Yet, in spite of all this instruction in "English culture", could the child pick up what is termed cultural bias from the globally influenced family he resides with regardless?

"Yes", replied he. "The family know this could fail, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he said.

Overly Optimistic

There are some in the education sector who express those reservations.

An education leader, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who supplies personal educators, commented that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."

He noted that he had emigrated from Asia to the UK at the period of 7 years old, and had been brought up knowing and practicing both cultures. He continued to learn at a prestigious UK institution.

"The notion that an individual can serve as a representation of UK identity, an individual who can possibly transfer the characteristics of a UK sophisticate to a 12-month-old child, appears idealistic and impractical," he wrote.

"In my experience, having a typically British tutor from early childhood will does not automatically achieve the outcome they want.

"I never had such a figure, and however I have been lucky enough to experience numerous of the opportunities they hope for their son."

He continued: "The reality is, self-identity should not be forced from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."

Buying Britishness

Naturally, Britishness is something the CEO thinks can be taught – and commercialized.

"In my view the reality that the international society holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating