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"A household residing in the northern part of London wants to find an exceptional and experienced instructor to assist their youngest child on his first steps to becoming an British gentleman."

When reading this advertisement, you might naturally miss the phrase "initial stages" as mere figurative language.

Yet, it could be the crucial element of this unusual employment listing, as it seeks to find a mentor for a one-year-old.

Many of applications have since been submitted since the unnamed family advertised their call for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".

During the past few weeks, the listing has gained notice in the news, with numerous wondering why?

Innovative Idea

Adam Caller, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their search, explained that in spite of first doubt, he found the plan "far sighted", and "innovative".

When he spoke with the family, he mentioned they recognized the unusual nature of their demand, and how early in age their son is.

But, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural influence had by then set in".

What exactly does the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?

It's "comprehensive", the expert answered. "How you eat, the manner you speak".

He said the older sibling had picked up "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family explained to the consultant they did not want the same situation to happen again with their younger child.

The intention: To hire a English tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from day one.

Osmotic Learning

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

It's by means of this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will pick up the British traits they want to impart.

Adam explained the tutor needed to be somebody who attended "prestigious academies – comparable categories of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".

"The instructor just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he added.

Expense Not a Factor

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

Furthermore though, he explained the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an tool by the time they are approximately three years old".

In the family's view, guiding their son become a "British gentleman" will lead to success and open doors.

"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he notes.

Yet, despite all this tutelage in "Britishness", would the child absorb alleged cultural leaning from the multicultural family he lives with in any case?

"Yes", said the CEO. "The family know this may not work, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as soon as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he stated.

Idealistic and Unrealistic

There are some in the private teaching field who share those doubts.

An education leader, chief executive of an educational organization, who also offer personal educators, wrote that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not designed."

Peter wrote that he had moved from Asia to the United Kingdom at the time of childhood, and had been brought up experiencing and embodying two backgrounds. He continued to be educated at Cambridge University.

"The idea that an individual can serve as a representation of UK identity, an individual who can in some way impart the characteristics of a UK sophisticate onto a 12-month-old child, appears idealistic and unrealistic," he stated.

"Based on my background, engaging a distinctly English tutor from babyhood will will not instantly create the result they want.

"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and however I have been lucky enough to experience several of the experiences they hope for their son."

He stated: "The fact is, self-identity can not be dictated from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."

Buying Britishness

Of course, UK identity is something Adam believes can be instructed – and sold.

"In my view the situation that the global community holds us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating