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"A household residing in the northern part of London is looking for an remarkable and qualified tutor to guide their smallest child on his first steps to growing into an English gentleman."

Looking at this advertisement, you might easily miss the phrase "first-steps" as just figurative language.

Yet, it might be the most important part of this unusual job advert, as it seeks to hire a teacher for a 12-month-old.

Many of responses have already been submitted since the unidentified family advertised their request for the £180,000 per year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".

During the past few weeks, the post has received notice in the media, with many wondering why?

Forward-Thinking Method

The CEO, head and founder of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their search, explained that in spite of initial scepticism, he considered the plan "visionary", and "advanced".

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

But, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that stage "cultural conditioning had by then taken hold".

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

It's "all-encompassing", the expert responded. "How you eat, the way you speak".

He said the elder child had adopted "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural ways. The family explained to Adam they hoped to prevent the same situation to happen again with their infant.

The strategy: To engage a UK tutor, who must speak with RP, to guide the baby from day one.

Subtle Influence

"A great deal of the learning at the start here is rather acquired indirectly," said Adam.

It's via this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will adopt the British traits they wish to impart.

The consultant noted the tutor had to be someone who studied at "the right kinds of schools – 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 carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he commented.

Cost Not Relevant

The family told the expert the selected educator should preferably also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in horse riding, skiing, artistic pursuits and musical activities so as to shape the child in a broad spectrum of interests.

Additionally though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to register the child on a range of courses so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an instrument by the time they are about three years old".

In the family's minds, guiding their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will bring about success and provide access.

"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a status symbol," he adds.

Yet, in spite of all this tutelage in "UK identity", might the child absorb alleged cultural influence from the international family he resides with regardless?

"Certainly", replied the CEO. "The family know this may not work, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he explained.

Idealistic and Unrealistic

A number of in the private teaching field who express those reservations.

Peter Cui, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer individual instructors, wrote that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not designed."

He explained that he had moved from Asia to the UK at the time of 7 years old, and had been brought up knowing and living dual heritages. He progressed to study at a prestigious UK institution.

"The idea that one individual can act as a representation of Britishness, an individual who can in some way transfer the characteristics of a English gentleman to a 12-month-old child, seems to me optimistic and impractical," he wrote.

"In my experience, engaging a quintessentially English tutor from early childhood will not necessarily achieve the outcome they hope for.

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

He continued: "The truth is, self-identity cannot be imposed from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."

Buying Britishness

Naturally, English culture is something Adam hopes can be taught – and sold.

"I think the reality that the world holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating