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"A family based in North London wants to find an exceptional and qualified educator to support their smallest child on his initial journey to becoming an English gentleman."

When reading this post, you might naturally overlook the wording "beginning" as just figurative language.

Yet, it might be the most significant element of this distinctive employment listing, as it seeks to recruit a teacher for a one-year-old.

Hundreds of applications have now been received since the unnamed family posted their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".

During the past few weeks, the post has gained attention in the press, with several wondering why?

Innovative Idea

The CEO, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their search, explained that notwithstanding early skepticism, he viewed the idea "far sighted", and "advanced".

When he consulted the family, he mentioned they understood the unusual nature of their requirement, and how young their son is.

Nevertheless, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural bias had already become established".

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

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

He explained the firstborn had adopted "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family explained to him they hoped to prevent the same situation to happen again with their younger child.

The plan: To bring in a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to influence the baby from day one.

Subtle Influence

"Much of the development at the outset here is kind of absorbed naturally," explained Adam.

It's by means of this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will adopt the British traits they wish to impart.

He said the tutor needed to be an individual who went to "prestigious academies – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".

"The instructor must be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he said.

Expense Not a Factor

The family explained to Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in equestrian activities, skiing, the arts and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a broad spectrum of interests.

More than that though, he explained the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of courses so the child would be "equestrian training and learning an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".

In the family's view, helping their son grow into a "English gentleman" will bring about accomplishment and provide access.

"Considering the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he notes.

But, despite all this instruction in "UK identity", could the child adopt alleged cultural bias from the international family he lives with regardless?

"Absolutely", said Adam. "They realize this may not work, but they've just taken the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he explained.

Overly Optimistic

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

Peter Cui, head and founder of Blue Education, who provides private tutors, stated that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."

He wrote that he had moved from China to the UK at the age of childhood, and had been educated knowing and living dual heritages. He went on to learn at a prestigious UK institution.

"The concept that one individual can act as a representation of Britishness, an individual who can in some way transfer the qualities of a British gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, strikes me as idealistic and impractical," he wrote.

"In my experience, employing a distinctly British tutor from babyhood will will not instantly produce the result they hope for.

"I never had that kind of mentor, and yet I have been fortunate enough to live many of the experiences they desire for their son."

He stated: "The truth is, cultural identity cannot be forced from the outside influences; it must be embraced, and it must originate internally."

Purchasing UK Culture

Certainly, English culture is something the expert thinks can be instructed – and marketed.

"I think the fact that the international society holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating