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"Parents located in the northern part of London seeks an exceptional and qualified instructor to assist their youngest child on his initial journey to growing into an English gentleman."

When reading this post, you might easily miss the phrase "first-steps" as just figurative language.

Yet, it might be the most important aspect of this unusual position posting, as it seeks to find a teacher for a 12-month-old.

Many of applications have since been submitted since the unidentified family posted their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".

Over the last few weeks, the advert has gained notice throughout the media, with numerous wondering why?

Innovative Idea

A tutoring expert, head and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their hunt, stated that in spite of initial doubt, he found the concept "far sighted", and "progressive".

When he met the family, he said they appreciated the unusual nature of their requirement, and how young their son is.

However, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already set in".

But what did the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?

It's "everything", he responded. "The way you eat, how you speak".

He stated the elder child had picked up "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family informed him they wished to avoid history to recur with their younger child.

The intention: To hire a English tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from the very start.

Subtle Influence

"A great deal of the education at the beginning here is kind of absorbed naturally," explained Adam.

It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are hoping the child will acquire the British traits they aim to cultivate.

The consultant explained the tutor needed to be someone who went to "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".

"The instructor must be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.

Cost Not Relevant

The family explained to him the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and music so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.

Furthermore though, he said the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".

In the family's minds, assisting their son develop into a "English gentleman" will bring about achievement and create opportunities.

"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he adds.

Yet, despite all this instruction in "UK identity", would the child pick up what is termed cultural bias from the globally influenced family he is raised by anyway?

"Certainly", answered the CEO. "The parents realize this may not work, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as quickly as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he explained.

Impractical

There are some in the education sector who have these reservations.

An education leader, chief executive of an educational organization, who supplies individual instructors, commented that "the development of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."

The expert wrote that he had moved from Asia to the UK at the period of childhood, and had been educated experiencing and embodying both cultures. He went on to study at the University of Cambridge.

"The notion that one individual can act as a embodiment of UK identity, an individual who can in some way transfer the qualities of a UK sophisticate onto a infant child, strikes me as optimistic and unfeasible," he wrote.

"Based on my background, having a typically British tutor from babyhood will will not necessarily achieve the goal they want.

"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and yet I have been privileged enough to enjoy numerous of the experiences they desire for their son."

He added: "The truth is, self-identity cannot be forced from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."

Buying Britishness

Of course, English culture is something the CEO hopes can be instructed – and commercialized.

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