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"A family based in North London seeks an extraordinary and experienced educator to assist their smallest child on his initial journey to becoming an British gentleman."

Looking at this advertisement, you might naturally skip the term "initial stages" as just figurative language.

However, it may be the crucial aspect of this distinctive position posting, as it attempts to hire a mentor for a one-year-old.

Hundreds of responses have now been submitted since the unnamed family advertised their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".

In recent few weeks, the advert has received attention in the media, with several wondering why?

Innovative Idea

A tutoring expert, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their hunt, explained that notwithstanding first skepticism, he found the plan "forward-looking", and "advanced".

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

But, they clarified that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had already set in".

But what did the family refer to by "cultural leaning"?

It's "all-encompassing", he responded. "The manner you eat, how you speak".

He explained the elder child had absorbed "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family told him they hoped to prevent this pattern to repeat itself with their new baby.

The strategy: To bring in a British tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from the very start.

Osmotic Learning

"A lot of the development at the start here is rather acquired indirectly," explained Adam.

It's through this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will adopt the English characteristics they want to cultivate.

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

"The educator must be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he added.

Expense Not a Factor

The family explained to Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have knowledge of or interest in horse riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a wide range of hobbies.

More than that though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an instrument by the time they are about three years old".

In the family's view, helping their son develop into a "British gentleman" will result in success and provide access.

"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he comments.

Yet, despite all this guidance in "Britishness", would the child pick up alleged cultural influence from the globally influenced family he is raised by in any case?

"Certainly", replied Adam. "The family know this could fail, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'we should try and let's go as quickly as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he said.

Overly Optimistic

Several in the tutoring industry who have these concerns.

Peter Cui, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who also offer private tutors, wrote that "the development of embracing two identities, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."

He wrote that he had relocated from China to the United Kingdom at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised knowing and embodying two backgrounds. He went on to be educated at a prestigious UK institution.

"The notion that an individual can act as a embodiment of Britishness, a person who can somehow impart the qualities of a British gentleman to a one-year-old child, appears idealistic and unrealistic," he stated.

"In my experience, employing a quintessentially UK tutor from babyhood will not automatically create the goal they hope for.

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

He added: "The truth is, cultural identity should not be imposed from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."

Buying Britishness

Naturally, English culture is something the expert believes can be taught – and marketed.

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