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"A family located in North London seeks an extraordinary and qualified instructor to assist their smallest child on his early path to turning into an British gentleman."

Looking at this advertisement, you might easily overlook the wording "first-steps" as mere a turn of phrase.

But, it could be the most significant element of this unique position posting, as it aims to recruit a mentor 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 needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".

During the past few weeks, the listing has gained interest in the media, with numerous asking why?

Innovative Idea

The CEO, CEO and founder of Tutors International, which is helping the family in their search, explained that in spite of first skepticism, he viewed the concept "far sighted", and "progressive".

When he met the family, he noted they recognized the unconventional nature of their requirement, and how immature their son is.

However, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural conditioning had already become established".

But what did the family indicate by "cultural bias"?

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

He explained the older sibling had picked up "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family told the consultant they did not want history to happen again with their younger child.

The strategy: To hire a British tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from the very start.

Natural Absorption

"A great deal of the education at the start here is somewhat acquired indirectly," explained the expert.

It's through this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will pick up the English characteristics they wish to cultivate.

He said the tutor had to be someone who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".

"The tutor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.

Expense Not a Factor

The family told him the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or interest in riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of passions.

More than that though, he said the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".

In the family's minds, guiding their son grow into a "British gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and create opportunities.

"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he notes.

Yet, in spite of all this guidance in "English culture", would the child adopt alleged cultural influence from the globally influenced family he lives with regardless?

"Certainly", replied the CEO. "They understand this may not work, but they've merely embraced the view of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he said.

Idealistic and Unrealistic

Several in the private teaching field who share these reservations.

Peter Cui, head and founder of an educational organization, who supplies private tutors, wrote that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or indeed, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."

He wrote that he had relocated from the Far East to the UK at the time of seven, and had been educated understanding and practicing two backgrounds. He continued to study at Cambridge University.

"The idea that a single person can function as a representation of English culture, an individual who can possibly transplant the qualities of a UK sophisticate onto a one-year-old child, seems to me naive and impractical," he commented.

"From my perspective, employing a distinctly English tutor from early childhood will does not instantly produce the outcome they desire.

"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and yet I have been fortunate enough to live several of the situations they aspire for their son."

He stated: "The fact is, personal identity should not be dictated from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."

Buying Britishness

Certainly, English culture is something Adam hopes can be educated – and commercialized.

"I believe the reality that the global community views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating