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"A family based in the northern part of London is looking for an exceptional and skilled instructor to assist their smallest child on his initial journey to growing into an English gentleman."

When reading this advertisement, you might naturally overlook the phrase "first-steps" as simple an expression.

But, it could be the crucial part of this unusual job advert, as it attempts to recruit a mentor for a one-year-old.

Numerous of responses have now been received since the anonymous family published their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".

Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted interest throughout the press, with several wondering why?

Forward-Thinking Method

Adam Caller, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is helping the family in their quest, said that notwithstanding early skepticism, he considered the plan "forward-looking", and "innovative".

When he met the family, he said they recognized the atypical aspect of their request, and how early in age their son is.

Nevertheless, they stated that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural bias had by then taken hold".

What exactly does the family refer to by "cultural predisposition"?

It's "everything", he responded. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".

He explained the older sibling had adopted "very nuanced, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family told the consultant they did not want history to recur with their younger child.

The plan: To bring in a UK tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby right from the beginning.

Osmotic Learning

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

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

Adam explained the tutor had to be somebody who went to "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".

"The instructor must be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, just naturally," he added.

Expense Not a Factor

The family informed him the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, alpine skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.

More than that though, he explained the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".

In the family's perspective, guiding their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will bring about accomplishment and open doors.

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

Yet, despite all this tutelage in "English culture", might the child adopt alleged cultural leaning from the international family he is raised by anyway?

"Absolutely", answered he. "They understand this could fail, but they've merely embraced the perspective 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 private teaching field who express those doubts.

Peter Cui, chief executive of a tutoring service, who also offer personal educators, wrote that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."

He noted that he had emigrated from Asia to the Britain at the period of 7 years old, and had been brought up knowing and embodying both cultures. He continued to study at Cambridge University.

"The idea that an individual can act as a representation of UK identity, a person who can in some way transfer the attributes of a British gentleman to a one-year-old child, appears idealistic and impractical," he commented.

"In my experience, having a distinctly British tutor from early childhood will not necessarily produce the goal they hope for.

"I never had such a tutor, and yet I have been lucky enough to enjoy numerous of the situations they desire for their son."

He stated: "The reality is, cultural identity cannot be dictated from the external environment; it must be embraced, and it must be internally driven."

Buying Britishness

Certainly, UK identity is something the CEO thinks can be educated – and commercialized.

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