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"A household residing in north London wants to find an extraordinary and experienced instructor to assist their smallest child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."

Upon seeing this listing, you might naturally skip the wording "first-steps" as just figurative language.

But, it could be the most important element of this unique position posting, as it aims to hire a mentor for a one-year-old.

Hundreds of applications have now been sent in since the unidentified family advertised their search for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".

During the past few weeks, the advert has received notice throughout the press, with numerous asking why?

Progressive Approach

Adam Caller, head and founder of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their quest, said that despite initial doubt, he considered the idea "forward-looking", and "advanced".

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

Nevertheless, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already become established".

But what did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?

It's "all-encompassing", he answered. "The manner you eat, the way you speak".

He said the elder child had picked up "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family explained to Adam they hoped to prevent the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.

The intention: To hire a British tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby right from the beginning.

Osmotic Learning

"A lot of the development at the beginning here is rather osmotic," stated the expert.

It's via this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will acquire the British traits they wish to instil.

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

"The educator simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.

Expense Not a Factor

The family informed him the successful candidate should preferably also have familiarity of or passion in riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a diverse set of passions.

More than that though, he stated the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".

In the family's minds, guiding their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will lead to achievement and open doors.

"Taking into account the rights and wrongs of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he notes.

But, in spite of all this guidance in "Britishness", might the child pick up alleged cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he resides with regardless?

"Absolutely", answered he. "They realize this could fail, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he stated.

Overly Optimistic

Several in the private teaching field who have these reservations.

An education leader, chief executive of an educational organization, who also offer individual instructors, stated that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not manufactured."

Peter wrote that he had moved from China to the UK at the time of seven, and had been raised experiencing and embodying two backgrounds. He went on to study at Cambridge University.

"The idea that one individual can function as a embodiment of Britishness, a person who can in some way transfer the attributes of a English gentleman upon a 12-month-old child, seems to me naive and unfeasible," he stated.

"Based on my background, having a quintessentially UK tutor from infancy will will not automatically produce the goal they desire.

"I never had such a figure, and yet I have been lucky enough to experience many of the experiences they hope for their son."

He continued: "The reality is, cultural identity should not be forced from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."

Acquiring Englishness

Of course, UK identity is something Adam thinks can be educated – and commercialized.

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