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"Parents located in North London is looking for an exceptional and skilled instructor to guide their youngest child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."

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

But, it could be the crucial element of this unique position posting, as it seeks to recruit a tutor for a 12-month-old.

Many of responses have since been received since the anonymous family advertised their call for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "an exceptional individual".

Over the last few weeks, the post has gained notice in the press, with several wondering why?

Progressive Approach

A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their quest, stated that notwithstanding first doubt, he considered the idea "forward-looking", and "advanced".

When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they appreciated the atypical character of their request, and how early in age their son is.

But, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had already set in".

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

It's "all-encompassing", he responded. "How you eat, the manner you speak".

He stated the elder child had picked up "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family explained to Adam they wished to avoid history to happen again with their infant.

The plan: To bring in a British tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from day one.

Subtle Influence

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

It's via this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will adopt the English characteristics they want to cultivate.

Adam noted the tutor had to be an individual who studied at "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".

"The tutor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he said.

Money No Object

The family informed him the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a diverse set of passions.

More than that though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are about three years old".

In the family's view, guiding their son become a "British gentleman" will lead to accomplishment and provide access.

"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he adds.

However, despite all this tutelage in "UK identity", might the child absorb what is termed cultural bias from the international family he resides with regardless?

"Certainly", said he. "The parents understand this could fail, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as quickly as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he stated.

Impractical

Several in the tutoring industry who share these reservations.

An education leader, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who supplies individual instructors, commented that "the journey of embracing two identities, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."

Peter wrote that he had moved from China to the UK at the age of childhood, and had been brought up understanding and embodying dual heritages. He continued to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.

"The idea that an individual can act as a embodiment of Britishness, a person who can somehow transfer the attributes of a English gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, appears optimistic and impractical," he stated.

"In my experience, engaging a distinctly English tutor from infancy will not instantly create the goal they desire.

"I never had such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been privileged enough to enjoy many of the experiences they aspire for their son."

He added: "The fact is, self-identity cannot be imposed from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."

Purchasing UK Culture

Certainly, Britishness is something Adam thinks can be taught – and commercialized.

"I think the reality that the global community regards us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating