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"A family residing in North London is looking for an extraordinary and qualified tutor to assist their youngest child on his initial journey to growing into an British gentleman."

Upon seeing this advertisement, you might easily miss the term "initial stages" as mere a turn of phrase.

However, it could be the crucial element of this unusual employment listing, as it aims to find a teacher for a one-year-old.

Hundreds of applications have already been received since the unnamed family posted their request for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".

Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted notice throughout the media, with several questioning why?

Innovative Idea

A tutoring expert, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their quest, explained that in spite of early skepticism, he found the plan "visionary", and "progressive".

When he met the family, he noted they understood the atypical character of their requirement, and how early in age their son is.

Nevertheless, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already taken hold".

What exactly did the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?

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

He said the elder child had absorbed "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family informed the consultant they wished to avoid the same situation to happen again with their younger child.

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

Osmotic Learning

"A great deal of the learning at the beginning here is somewhat osmotic," explained the CEO.

It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will pick up the English characteristics they aim to impart.

He noted the tutor must be somebody who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".

"The educator simply needs to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he added.

Cost Not Relevant

The family explained to the expert the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in horse riding, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and music so as to shape the child in a diverse set of passions.

Additionally though, he said the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an instrument by the time they are about three years old".

In the family's perspective, guiding their son develop into a "English gentleman" will result in achievement and provide access.

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

However, notwithstanding all this instruction in "UK identity", could the child pick up what is termed cultural bias from the international family he lives with in any case?

"Certainly", answered he. "The parents understand this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he stated.

Idealistic and Unrealistic

There are some in the tutoring industry who share similar doubts.

An education leader, CEO and founder of an educational organization, who also offer private tutors, stated that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."

Peter noted that he had relocated from China to the UK at the time of childhood, and had been educated knowing and practicing two backgrounds. He continued to learn at a prestigious UK institution.

"The idea that a single person can serve as a living vessel of Britishness, someone who can somehow transfer the characteristics of a English gentleman upon a one-year-old child, appears optimistic and impractical," he commented.

"In my experience, employing a typically UK tutor from early childhood will does not necessarily create the outcome they desire.

"I never had that kind of mentor, and yet I have been lucky enough to enjoy several of the situations they desire for their son."

He continued: "The fact is, self-identity should not be forced from the outside; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."

Purchasing UK Culture

Naturally, UK identity is something the CEO hopes can be educated – and marketed.

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