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"A family located in the northern part of London is looking for an extraordinary and skilled instructor to assist their most junior child on his first steps to becoming an British gentleman."

When reading this listing, you might easily miss the phrase "initial stages" as simple figurative language.

But, it could be the most significant part of this unique position posting, as it aims to recruit a mentor for a infant.

Many of submissions have already been received since the anonymous family published their search for the highly paid tutor, who must be "someone very special".

In recent few weeks, the advert has attracted notice in the news, with numerous wondering why?

Progressive Approach

The CEO, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their search, explained that despite early scepticism, he found the concept "visionary", and "innovative".

When he met the family, he said they recognized the atypical aspect of their demand, and how young their son is.

However, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural bias had already taken hold".

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

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

He said the firstborn had absorbed "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family told the consultant they wished to avoid the same situation to happen again with their younger child.

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

Osmotic Learning

"A great deal of the development at the start here is somewhat absorbed naturally," said Adam.

It's via this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will acquire the UK customs they want to instil.

Adam noted the tutor must be someone who studied at "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".

"The tutor simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he commented.

Expense Not a Factor

The family explained to Adam the selected educator should ideally also have familiarity of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, winter sports, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a wide range of passions.

More than that though, he explained the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an instrument by the time they are about three years old".

In the family's minds, assisting their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will lead to success and create opportunities.

"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he comments.

But, in spite of all this instruction in "English culture", would the child adopt so-called cultural influence from the international family he is raised by regardless?

"Certainly", answered the CEO. "The family know this could fail, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as early as we can', because the price of it is not a concern," he explained.

Impractical

There are some in the tutoring industry who have similar concerns.

Another CEO, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer private tutors, commented that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."

Peter explained that he had emigrated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised understanding and living both cultures. He progressed to study at Cambridge University.

"The concept that an individual can serve as a representation of Britishness, an individual who can possibly impart the qualities of a British gentleman onto a infant child, appears idealistic and unfeasible," he stated.

"In my experience, having a distinctly UK tutor from early childhood will not automatically create the goal they want.

"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and yet I have been lucky enough to experience many of the opportunities they hope for their son."

He stated: "The reality is, self-identity should not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."

Buying Britishness

Certainly, English culture is something the expert believes can be educated – and sold.

"In my view the situation that the international society views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating